Coley HarveyESPN Staff Writer September 24, 2023, 6:54pm ET4 minutes read
Evan Longoria rips one down the line for a 2-run single
Evan Longoria blasted one down the third base line for a 2-run single, extending the Diamondbacks’ lead.
NEW YORK – The end of this year’s New York Yankees has officially come.
While a variety of key injuries and a season’s worth of offensive struggles made it appear that their streak of six consecutive postseason appearances would likely be halted, that conclusion mercifully and officially came on a damp Sunday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.
Amid steady, relentless rain and strong, gusty winds caused by nearby Tropical Storm Ophelia, the Yankees lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-1, falling out of contention for the American League’s final wild-card spot.
“It sucks,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “That’s what you work hard for all year long – winter, spring training, all season long – to be able to play in October and compete for a championship.”
“So the reality of that not being in the game sucks.”
Yankees captain and outfielder Aaron Judge said he plans to take a vocal and proactive role this offseason to ensure the organization returns to where it was before this season.
“This isn’t going to happen overnight,” Judge said. “So we have to hit the ground running, especially when the season is over. We have a lot to work on, a lot of things to change and a lot of things happening here that need to be fixed.”
When asked what some of those things were, Judge declined to answer, saying they would remain “within the company.” He added that he has some ideas about changes that need to come and he plans to work with key decision makers in the organization’s major and minor leagues to ensure they come through.
As for the AL wild card race, with the Yankees no longer in play, the final spot remains a battle between the Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners.
In the National League, the Diamondbacks still have a one-game lead over the Chicago Cubs for the league’s final wild card.
Sunday’s loss also dropped the Yankees to 78-77 as they continue to flirt with the possibility of becoming the first Bronx Bombers since 1992 to finish a season with a losing record.
“I feel like this club can win here,” starting pitcher Carlos Rodon said. “It’s kind of one of those things where we have to turn around and move on. “Obviously we still have six or seven games left so we need to finish them strong and show what we can do and make a difference on the field. “We’ll move on from there and look forward to next year.”
Infielder DJ LeMahieu, a veteran who has played for the Yankees for the past five seasons, said the improvements he has seen in many of the team’s young players in recent weeks make him confident about the organization’s future can.
“The most frustrating thing about this year is that we know we are good enough to be where we want to be. We just couldn’t do it,” LeMahieu said. “[But] Overall, there’s definitely a lot to look forward to. But we know this year is not good enough.
Before this season, the last time the Yankees missed the playoffs was in 2016. It was a similarly underperforming team that featured players like aging All-Stars Alex Rodriguez, Brian McCann and Carlos Beltran.
But after the disappointing end to the year, New York appeared in the postseason every year from 2017 to 2022, including three trips to the American League Championship Series.
It was a run powered by a team of younger, rising stars. Greats like Judge, who won the “American League Rookie of the Year” award in 2017, were instrumental in this.
This year’s Yankees have seven games left, including a makeup game against Arizona on Monday that was scheduled after Saturday’s game was rained out.
Judge, who has played the past two months due to a toe injury that placed him on the injured list in 51 midseason games, still plans to remain in the lineup often this final week.
“There’s been talk of things shutting down, but I have to be out there,” Judge said. “I’m a leader on this team, and especially with the young people coming up – you have to show them that even if you don’t feel good or great, you have to post something. You “We have to be there for our teammates every day.
“So I’ll be out there.”