Yanks, on brink, know they must ‘shock the world’
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Jorge Castillo, ESPN Staff Writer
NEW YORK — For the New York Yankees, the franchise with the richest history in baseball, to win their 28th World Series and their first since 2009, they will have to make history.
No team has ever overcome a 3-0 series deficit to win the World Series. Just one club — the Boston Red Sox against the Yankees in the American League Championship Series two decades ago — has completed the comeback in a postseason series at all. But that’s where the Yankees, whose offense has largely vanished on the grandest stage, find themselves after falling 4-2 to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 at Yankee Stadium on Monday. The quest to become the first team to defy the odds in the World Series begins with Game 4 on Tuesday.
“We’re trying to get a game tomorrow,” Boone said. “OK? That’s where our focus lies. Hopefully we can go be this amazing story and shock the world.”
What has been shocking so far in this World Series has been New York’s offensive ineptitude. The Yankees, the AL leaders in runs scored during the regular season, have scored seven runs in the three games. They’re 4-for-20 with runners in scoring position. They’ve left 25 runners on base. They have just one fewer hit than the Dodgers but have totaled 31 strikeouts to the Dodgers’ 17.
“All it takes is one,” Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge said. “All it takes is one swing, one at-bat, one play, and everything changes. That’s the mindset you got to have.”
At the center of the struggles, though far from the only source, is Judge. The superstar center fielder didn’t appear to be of this planet for most of the summer. He is expected to win the AL MVP unanimously. He looked better at the plate in Game 3 than in Game 2, but he still went hitless with a strikeout and a walk, running his tally to 1-for-12 with seven strikeouts and a walk in the World Series and 6-for-43 (.140) with a .580 OPS and 20 strikeouts in 12 postseason games.
“Yeah, definitely,” Judge said when asked if he thought he was letting his team down. “You want to be getting the hits. You want to be going out there doing your job. But I’m not doing my job right now. So I got to pick it up.”
The lack of offense combined with early holes have buried the Yankees, who haven’t led since Nestor Cortes surrendered the walk-off grand slam to Freddie Freeman in Game 1. Their deficit in Game 3 began when Clarke Schmidt walked Shohei Ohtani, who was leading off for the Dodgers two days after dislocating his shoulder, on four pitches. Two batters later, Freeman smashed a cutter Schmidt yanked into the seats in right field for a two-run home run.
Schmidt allowed another run in the third inning before exiting with two outs in the frame. The right-hander threw 68 pitches to record eight outs.
“We’re playing kind of on the back foot a little bit,” Yankees left fielder Alex Verdugo said. “We need to get in front of it and have some momentum on our side.”
Verdugo supplied the Yankees’ only runs with a two-run home run with two outs in the ninth inning as fans filtered out of the stadium. Giancarlo Stanton went 2-for-4 with a double. The rest of the team went 3-for-27 against Walker Buehler, who held New York to two hits over five pristine innings, and six Dodgers relievers.
The Yankees had runners reach base in each of the final four innings. They had rallies end with a questionable send (Stanton getting thrown out at home after doubling in the fourth inning) and a questionable strike three call (Gleyber Torres taking a pitch above the strike zone with two runners on base in the seventh inning). The performance prompted boos from the home crowd in the first World Series game at Yankee Stadium since Nov. 4, 2009.
If there’s one positive to take from Monday it’s that the Yankees saw six Dodgers relievers before their scheduled bullpen game Wednesday. The reps, they hope, will lead to production. History is not on their side. Each of the past nine teams to take a 3-0 lead in the World Series have completed a sweep, according to ESPN Research. The last team to force a Game 5 was the 1970 Cincinnati Reds against the Baltimore Orioles. A team has never forced a Game 6 after trailing 3-0.
“I don’t see us laying down tomorrow,” first baseman Anthony Rizzo said.
This World Series was as hyped as any in recent memory. The sport’s two most iconic franchises, representing each coast, adding another chapter to their World Series rivalry after a 43-year hiatus. Hall of Famers populating both rosters. Celebrities dotting the crowds. This series had everything.
But what began with an instant classic in Game 1 could suddenly end with a sweep Tuesday largely because the Yankees’ offense has put up too many zeroes. They’ll give the ball to rookie Luis Gil with their season on the line looking to supply him with early run support to ease his burden and begin mounting a historic comeback.
We know the odds are stacked against us,” Cortes said. “But this team is too resilient. I think we’ve shown enough fight in us to come back. If there’s a team out there that can do it, it’ll be us.”
The 2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby is fast approaching — and the field is set.
Braves hometown hero Ronald Acuna Jr. became the first player to commit to the event, which will be held at Truist Park in Atlanta on July 14 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN). He was followed by MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, James Wood of the Washington Nationals, Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins, Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, Brent Rooker of the Athletics and Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the New York Yankees.
On Friday, however, Acuna was replaced by teammate Matt Olson.
With all the entrants announced, let’s break down their chances at taking home this year’s Derby prize.
Full All-Star Game coverage: How to watch, schedule, rosters, more
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 434 feet
Why he could win: Olson is a late replacement for Acuna as the home team’s representative at this year’s Derby. Apart from being the Braves’ first baseman, however, Olson also was born in Atlanta and grew up a Braves fan, giving him some extra motivation. The left-handed slugger led the majors in home runs in 2023 — his 54 round-trippers that season also set a franchise record — and he remains among the best in the game when it comes to exit velo and hard-hit rate.
Why he might not: The home-field advantage can also be a detriment if a player gets too hyped up in the first round. See Julio Rodriguez in Seattle in 2023, when he had a monster first round, with 41 home runs, but then tired out in the second round.
2025 home runs: 36 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: It’s the season of Cal! The Mariners’ catcher is having one of the greatest slugging first halves in MLB history, as he’s been crushing mistakes all season . His easy raw power might be tailor-made for the Derby — he ranks in the 87th percentile in average exit velocity and delivers the ball, on average, at the optimal home run launch angle of 23 degrees. His calm demeanor might also be perfect for the contest as he won’t get too amped up.
Why he might not: He’s a catcher — and one who has carried a heavy workload, playing in all but one game this season. This contest is as much about stamina as anything, and whether Raleigh can carry his power through three rounds would be a concern. No catcher has ever won the Derby, with only Ivan Rodriguez back in 2005 even reaching the finals.
2025 home runs: 24 | Longest: 451 feet
Why he could win: He’s big, he’s strong, he’s young, he’s awesome, he might or might not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. This is the perfect opportunity for Wood to show his talent on the national stage, and he wouldn’t be the first young player to star in the Derby. He ranks in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity and 99th percentile in hard-hit rate, so he can still muscle the ball out in BP even if he slightly mishits it. His long arms might be viewed as a detriment, but remember the similarly tall Aaron Judge won in 2017.
Why he might not: His natural swing isn’t a pure uppercut — he has a pretty low average launch angle of just 6.2 degrees — so we’ll see how that plays in a rapid-fire session. In real games, his power is primarily to the opposite field, but in a Home Run Derby you can get more cheapies pulling the ball down the line.
2025 home runs: 20 | Longest: 479 feet
Why he could win: Buxton’s raw power remains as impressive as nearly any hitter in the game. He crushed a 479-foot home run earlier this season and has four others of at least 425 feet. Indeed, his “no doubter” percentage — home runs that would be out of all 30 parks based on distance — is 75%, the highest in the majors among players with more than a dozen home runs. His bat speed ranks in the 89th percentile. In other words, two tools that could translate to a BP lightning show.
Why he might not: Buxton is 31 and the Home Run Derby feels a little more like a younger man’s competition. Teoscar Hernandez did win last year at age 31, but before that, the last winner older than 29 was David Ortiz in 2010, and that was under much different rules than are used now.
2025 home runs: 16 | Longest: 463 feet
Why he could win: If you drew up a short list of players everyone wants to see in the Home Run Derby, Cruz would be near the top. He has the hardest-hit ball of the 2025 season, and the hardest ever tracked by Statcast, a 432-foot missile of a home run with an exit velocity of 122.9 mph. He also crushed a 463-foot home run in Anaheim that soared way beyond the trees in center field. With his elite bat speed — 100th percentile — Cruz has the ability to awe the crowd with a potentially all-time performance.
Why he might not: Like all first-time contestants, can he stay within himself and not get too caught up in the moment? He has a long swing, which will result in some huge blasts, but might not be the most efficient for a contest like this one, where the more swings a hitter can get in before the clock expires, the better.
2025 home runs: 23 | Longest: 425 feet
Why he could win: Although Caminero was one of the most hyped prospects entering 2024, everyone kind of forgot about him heading into this season since he didn’t immediately rip apart the majors as a rookie. In his first full season, however, he has showed off his big-time raw power — giving him a chance to become just the third player to reach 40 home runs in his age-21 season. He has perhaps the quickest bat in the majors, ranking in the 100th percentile in bat speed, and his top exit velocity ranks in the top 15. That could translate to a barrage of home runs.
Why he might not: In game action, Caminero does hit the ball on the ground quite often — in fact, he’s on pace to break Jim Rice’s record for double plays grounded into in a season. If he gets out of rhythm, that could lead to a lot of low line drives during the Derby instead of fly balls that clear the fences.
2025 home runs: 19 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: The Athletics slugger has been one of the top power hitters in the majors for three seasons now and is on his way to a third straight 30-homer season. Rooker has plus bat speed and raw power, but his biggest strength is an optimal average launch angle (19 degrees in 2024, 15 degrees this season) that translates to home runs in game action. That natural swing could be picture perfect for the Home Run Derby. He also wasn’t shy about saying he wanted to participate — and maybe that bodes well for his chances.
Why he might not: Rooker might not have quite the same raw power as some of the other competitors, as he has just one home run longer than 425 feet in 2025. But that’s a little nitpicky, as 11 of his home runs have still gone 400-plus feet. He competed in the college home run derby in Omaha while at Mississippi State in 2016 and finished fourth.
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 442 feet
Why he could win: Chisholm might not be the most obvious name to participate, given his career high of 24 home runs, but he has belted 17 already in 2025 in his first 61 games after missing some time with an injury. He ranks among the MLB leaders in a couple of home run-related categories, ranking in the 96th percentile in expected slugging percentage and 98th percentile in barrel rate. His raw power might not match that of the other participants, but he’s a dead-pull hitter who has increased his launch angle this season, which might translate well to the Derby, even if he won’t be the guy hitting the longest home runs.
Why he might not: Most of the guys who have won this have been big, powerful sluggers. Chisholm is listed at 5-foot-11, 184 pounds, and you have to go back to Miguel Tejada in 2004 to find the last player under 6 foot to win.
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