The New York Yankees are absolutely reeling, now down 2-0 in the AL Division Series to the Tampa Bay Rays, and one more loss means they’re looking at a 17th straight season without a World Series title. That’s a brutal reality, folks, matching the longest championship drought for the winningest team in Major League Baseball since Babe Ruth led them to their first title way back in 1923. Oof.
The Errors Are Piling Up, And It’s Ugly
You just can’t make this stuff up. After a dismal Game 2 defeat, where the Yankees committed a jaw-dropping *four errors*, the players and staff didn’t even get home until 5 a.m. Tuesday. Four errors in a playoff game! Third baseman Ryan McMahon, second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., shortstop George Lombard Jr., and catcher Austin Wells all contributed to that mess, which directly led to three unearned runs in their 5-2 loss. Imagine giving up free runs in a playoff game, that’s just soul-crushing. Lombard even let a two-hopper get by him, and right fielder Spencer Jones watched a liner with a 65% hit probability drop for a hit, sparking a four-run inning for the Rays. McMahon and Chisholm’s throwing errors in the first, plus a catcher’s interference call against Wells, gave them their first three-error postseason inning ever. Pitcher Cam Schlittler didn’t pull any punches, saying, “It didn’t seem like we really showed up today.” This isn’t a new problem either, two years ago, they had two errors and a mental lapse that cost them five unearned runs in a Game 5 World Series loss to the Dodgers. This is a bad tradition that needs to die right now.
“That’s Not Us” And The Odds Are Stacked
Manager Aaron Boone tried to keep spirits up, talking with players individually instead of a big rah-rah speech. He said, “This group has done a really good job all year of bouncing back through a tough game, through some tough moments in the season and handled it all very well. So that’s my expectation this time. It has to be.” But when pitcher Max Fried spoke, his words cut deep: “It’s important to have a little bit of pride and to be able to say: `That’s not us and we’re going to prove it.’” Pride is absolutely on the line here, because the numbers are grim. MLB stats show that teams taking a 2-0 lead in a best-of-five postseason series have won 83 of 93 times. The last time a team came back from an 0-2 deficit? The 2017 Yankees against Cleveland. Can they pull off that magic again? The Rays, who already clinched the AL East at Yankee Stadium on September 22, are feeling good. Pitcher Nick Martinez, who used to sit in the bleachers when he played college ball nearby, is starting for them and expects “an electric crowd with their season on the line.” Rays outfielder Jonny DeLuca summed it up: “There’s no taking games off. Obviously taking the first two has put us in a really good spot, but it’s still the same mindset going forward.”
The Yankees simply have to win Wednesday night in the Bronx. Max Fried is on the mound for them, facing off against the Rays’ Nick Martinez. It’s win or go home, folks. Their entire season is on the line, and if they don’t bring the heat and play perfect baseball, that 17-season drought becomes a very real, very painful history.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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