The Yankees are one of the most successful teams in sports history, with 27 world championship wins. For their hard-hitting and huge success, they gained the ever-iconic nickname of the “Bronx Bombers.” Yet now the name has taken on a different meaning as the team bombed their last season. The Yankees finished the 2023 season with 82 wins and 80 losses, placing 4th out of 5th in the American League East division. They were eliminated from the postseason on September 24th after an uninspiring 7–1 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. This is the first time since 2016 that the Yankees have missed the playoffs. Whether or not you’re a baseball fan, it’s clear that their performance this season disappointed millions of New Yorkers.
The Major League Baseball season takes place over 6 months and 162 games. The Yankees are a member of the AL East division along with the Baltimore Orioles, the Boston Red Sox, the Tampa Bay Rays, and the Toronto Blue Jays. Although the Yankees play other teams in MLB, their goal is to be at the top of their division to get into the playoffs; or to have one of the best three records out of the remaining teams in the American League. These top three teams get into the playoffs through a 3 game “Wild Card” series. The winner of the American League playoffs will play the winner of the National League playoffs in the World Series. Unfortunately, the Yankees finished second to last, ahead of only the Red Sox.
Going into this season, the Yankees’ expectations were high, but many fans and pundits were concerned that the team was overloaded with veteran players and lacking enough young talent. It turns out they were right, and this version of the Yankees was disappointingly one of the three slowest teams in the MLB. Another issue was the large number of injuries, with a total of 38 players sustaining injuries for a combined 2,158 days. While injuries are common in baseball, the team’s substitutions continuously failed to live up to expectations. The most significant example of this was Aaron Judge’s injury. He was the Yankees’ main star, hitting an AL record of 62 home runs last season, but while making a catch at Dodgers stadium, he tore the ligament in his right big toe. The players who subbed in for him all underperformed and left fans missing Judge. In those 42 games, the Yankees had 19 wins and 23 loses. The primary reason for this disappointment was not Judge’s older age, but a failure of the Yankees’ organization. Talented minor leaguers should have been available to help in his absence. This lack of talent in the minors also led to other issues offensively and defensively. On the defensive side, the team faced a serious lack of pitchers. Some of the key starters such as Carlos Rodón, Nestor Cortes, and Luis Severino all got injured or underperformed. Another valuable starter, Domingo Germán, was out towards the end of the season after he entered rehab for alcohol abuse. The team was left with Geritt Cole, who pitched very well, but he was overshadowed by the team’s lackluster offense and lack of depth on the defensive end.
Although the season is over and the ‘24 season seems far away, Yankee players have spoken about the importance of fixing their flaws during this time off. “We got to hit the ground running […] a lot of things to change, and a lot of stuff going on around here that needs to be fixed,” says Aaron Judge. It is key to remember that about one more win a month would’ve gotten these same players to the wild card game. Yankee fans can hope for a more successful season next year, with hopefully many roster changes. I asked sophomore and Yankees fan Isabella Martinez for her opinion on the Yankees’ future: “I think that they should stop focusing on the older players and focus on improving the rookies. They [the veterans] are just not the same anymore. It’s preventing the rookies from getting a chance to improve and discover their talents in the game.” She’s hopeful for the upcoming season and looking forward to revenge, along with millions of New Yorkers.
