NEW YORK, NY – Last week, all the buzz in New York City surrounded the fantasy of a repeat of the 1978 season ending with Bucky Dent’s playoff home run to beat the Boston Red Sox. This week, the Yankees had one job, sweep the Toronto Blue Jays so they can close the gap in the wildcard race.
Instead, the Yankees dropped two out of three and landed more players on the disabled list. They also helped Toronto inch closer to clinching their own playoff berth.
Now, with a record of 77-76, the Yankees are in danger of finishing below .500 as manager Aaron Boone continues making headlines for getting ejected over balls and strikes and not for leading an October miracle. Instead, it’s becoming an October disaster.
The Yankees have not had a sub-500 season since 1992 when rookie manager Buck Showalter. That year, the Yankees finished 76-86.
By finishing below .500, the Yankees will officially end the dynasty started in 1996 by the likes of Derek Jeter, Paul O’Neill, Bernie Williams, and the gang. The Yankees haven’t won the World Series since 2009. But, they have been fielding competitive teams since 1993. That’s a 30-year run of making the playoffs 24 times over that span, including five World Series titles and 14 division titles.
Last year, the Yankees finished 99-63 and Aaron Judge hit 62 home runs.
The Yankees have hinted they will be keeping Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone in 2024. Cashman has been criticized for not making any trade deadline deals that could have helped the team reverse their fortunes. Instead, the trade deadline was a bust for New York fans.