Post-Red Sox sweep: why hope is not lost for the Yankees
Yes, I witnessed the same thing you all did the past week.
Some highlights: Sonny Gray taking a dump on the field against the Triple-A Orioles, the 4th inning debacle on Thursday (to put it nicely), an abysmal weekend at the plate from Friday through the 7thinning on Sunday, and to top it all off – a MELTDOWN in the 9th inning last night in front of the whole world on Sunday Night Baseball against the Red Sox that ended in a walk-off loss.
This is pretty good way to sum up how we all felt last night:
https://twitter.com/JoezMcfLy/status/1026325369048231936
So yeah, last week sucked. Last night almost recreated the heartbreak I felt at the conclusion of last season. But shockingly, I’m here to say that not all hope is lost.
Again, there are very few words to describe the last week, and all of them are vulgar and demoralizing. There is not a single facet of the Yankees that can’t be criticized for their performance. It was far and away the worst week of the season. Things absolutely need to change – and things CAN change – if the Yankees want them to, that is.
Trust me, I know the Yankees are 9.5 games out of the AL East and are probably playing for home field in the Wild Card at this point (barring a Red Sox collapse). At times like this, we all need our time to scream and vent – and it’s easy to overreact. Once you get it all out of your system, though, it’s time to put the rest of this season in perspective.
Contrary to popular belief, the season did not end last night. The Yankees will play another baseball game this season. In fact, there are (at least) 52 games left in the season for the Yanks. That is a LOT of baseball – almost a third of the season.
https://twitter.com/angelsteve89/status/1026471246719016960
If the Yankees want to make things better, they have more than enough time to do so. It's inevitable that they'll get out of this funk at some point this season, and I’d much rather that they have an awful stretch like this one now than at the end of September.
Here are a few key series’ in the month of September that will play a pivotal role in how the Yankees finish the regular season:
Three games in Oakland (September 3rd– 5th)
Three games in Seattle (September 7th– 9th)
Three home games vs. Boston (September 18th– 20th)
Ending the regular season with three games in Boston (September 28th– 30th)
This alone proves that the Yankees haven’t played their biggest game of the season yet. Yeah, this week was awful, but in the end, it will not define the season. This team is more talented than the Yankees we saw go to Game 7 of the ALCS just last season – so anything is possible.
Sports are all about who gets the last laugh – the Yankees could lose every game to Boston in the regular season but if they beat them in the playoffs, that’s all people will remember.
So the ball is in your court, Yanks. We all know you have the talent to go the distance and be the team we expect you to be. But things have to be different going forward if you want any chance of meeting those expectations, so it's time to buckle up and make those necessary changes.
Personally, I’m also a Jets fan, so I’m used to trying to see the bright side of things in dark times when in reality I might just be a hopeless optimist. Right now, it’s undoubtedly rock bottom for the Yanks. But if there’s one thing you want to take away from all this – it’s this simple notion:
This season is far from over.