The New York Yankees are in the middle of one of their worst stretches of the season, and the numbers are becoming impossible to ignore despite missing Aaron Judge.
After dropping 13 of their last 17 games, the Yankees continue to spiral despite carrying the third-highest payroll in Major League Baseball. A roster built to compete for a World Series has instead looked completely out of sync offensively, with strikeouts becoming the defining story of their recent struggles. Over their last two games alone, the Yankees have struck out 17 times in each contest, becoming the first American League team to strike out 17 times in back-to-back nine-inning games.
Despite the historic futility, manager Aaron Boone doesn't believe the team's overall approach is the problem. "I'm confident in our approach," Boone said after the loss. Boone acknowledged, however, that several of the club's stars are simply not performing. "We have to get some guys on track right now," Boone said. "Some really good players obviously that are going through a tough time right now. So we're not going to overhaul and change, but part of our approach is being a tough out and being situational, and we got to do a better job of that right now."
While Boone remains confident, frustration is beginning to grow among Yankees fans. The offense has repeatedly failed to deliver in key situations, often putting together long stretches of empty at-bats filled with swing-and-miss. For a team with championship expectations and one of baseball's largest payrolls, consistently striking out at a historic rate is simply unacceptable.
