Yanks miss playoffs: A lot ‘that needs to be fixed’
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Coley Harvey, ESPN Staff Writer
NEW YORK — The end has officially arrived for this year’s New York Yankees.
While a bevy of key injuries and a season’s worth of offensive struggles long made it seem that their run of six straight postseason appearances was likely going to be halted, that conclusion mercifully and officially arrived on a soggy Sunday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.
Under a steady, relentless rainfall and amid powerful, gusty winds brought on 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 toward all year round — the wintertime, spring training, on through the season — for an opportunity to play in October and compete for a championship.
“So the reality of that not being in play sucks.”
Yankees captain and outfielder Aaron Judge said he plans to take a vocal and proactive role this offseason in ensuring the organization trends back to where it was prior to this season.
“It’s not going to happen overnight,” Judge said. “So we got to hit the ground running, especially when the season ends. We’ve got a lot to work on, a lot of things to change and a lot of stuff going on around here that needs to be fixed.”
Asked what some of those things were, Judge declined to answer, saying they’d stay “in-house.” He added that he has some ideas of changes that need to come, and he plans to work with key decision-makers throughout the major and minor league parts of the organization to ensure they take hold.
With regard to the AL wild-card race, now that the Yankees are out of the picture, the final spot remains a toss-up between the Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners.
In the National League, the Diamondbacks still hold a one-game lead over the Chicago Cubs for that league’s final wild card.
Sunday’s loss also dropped the Yankees to 78-77, as they continue flirting with the possibility of being the first set of Bronx Bombers since 1992 to finish a season with a losing record.
“I feel like this club right here can win,” starting pitcher Carlos Rodon said. “It’s kind of one of those things where we have to turn the page and move on. Obviously, we have like six or seven games left, and so we have to finish strong with those and show what we can do on the field and move on from there, and look forward to next year.”
Infielder DJ LeMahieu, a veteran who has played for the Yankees the past five seasons, said improvements he has seen in recent weeks by many of the team’s young call-ups give him belief in what the organization’s future can be.
“The most frustrating part of this year is we know we’re good enough to be where we want to be, we just haven’t done it,” LeMahieu said. “[But] overall, there’s definitely a lot to look forward to. But we know this year’s not good enough.”
Before this season, 2016 was the last time the Yankees missed the playoffs. It was a similarly underperforming team, one that featured the likes of aging All-Stars Alex Rodriguez, Brian McCann and Carlos Beltran.
But following that year’s disappointing finish, New York made postseason appearances annually from 2017 to 2022, including three trips to the American League Championship Series.
It was a run powered by a team of younger, up-and-coming stars. It was paced by the likes of Judge, who won American League Rookie of the Year honors in 2017.
This year’s Yankees have seven games remaining, including a make-up against Arizona on Monday that was scheduled after Saturday’s game was rained out.
Judge, who has been playing the past two months through a toe injury that landed him on the injured list for 51 midseason games, still plans to stay in the lineup often this final week.
“There was talks of stuff getting shut down, but I’ve got to be out there,” Judge said. “I’m a leader on this team, and especially with the young guys we’ve got coming up — you got to show them that you got to post, even if you’re not feeling good, not feeling great. You’ve got to be out there every single day for your teammates.
“So I’m going to be out there.”
DETROIT — The Seattle Mariners are on the brink of a spot in the AL Championship series for the first time in 24 years.
Cal Raleigh hit a two-run homer, Eugenio Suarez and J.P. Crawford had solo shots and Seattle beat the Detroit Tigers 8-4 on Tuesday night to take a 2-1 lead in the AL Division Series.
The Mariners are within a win of their first AL Championship Series since 2001. Their first chance to advance is on Wednesday afternoon in Game 4 at Comerica Park and if necessary, another opportunity awaits on Friday back in Seattle for a decisive Game 5.
“The Seattle Mariners deserve where we’re at right now,” Suarez said.
Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said not to count his team out after it showed resolve following a historic collapse in the regular season and bounced back by eliminating Cleveland in an AL Wild Card series, then won Game 1 against Seattle.
“We’ve had to play more and more back-against-the-wall-type games,” Hinch said. “I know our guys are going to be ready.”
Seattle’s Logan Gilbert gave up one run on four hits while striking out seven and walking none over six innings.
“Can’t say enough about what Logan did,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “Just an incredible outing. He had everything going.”
Raleigh, who had a major league-high 60 homers during the regular season, hit a 391-foot, two-run homer to left-center in the ninth to make it 8-1.
The offensively challenged Tigers were limited to four hits and one run through eight innings before suddenly generating some offense in the ninth against Caleb Ferguson, who allowed three runs on three hits and a walk without getting an out.
Spencer Torkelson hit a two-run double and Andy Ibanez followed with an RBI single.
All-Star closer Andres Munoz entered with one on and no outs and ended Detroit’s comeback hopes with a flyout and game-ending double play.
Detroit’s Jack Flaherty lasted just 3 1/3 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits and three walks.
Seattle scored two runs in the third after starting the inning with three hits and a walk.
Victor Robles led off with a double and scored on an error, which was credited to left fielder Riley Greene for an errant throw that could have been fielded on a bounce by catcher Dillon Dingler.
“A little bit of a breakdown all the way around,” Hinch said.
Randy Arozarena‘s RBI single put the Mariners ahead 2-0 in the third.
Suarez sent a 422-foot shot to left in the fourth to make it 3-0. Raleigh’s two-out RBI single in the inning gave Seattle a four-run cushion.
The Tigers were hoping their first home game in two-plus weeks might make them more comfortable at the plate, but it didn’t help and they lost an eighth straight at Comerica Park.
Detroit finally scored in the fifth on Kerry Carpenter‘s fielder’s choice on what was potentially an inning-ending double play. Crawford’s throw from second base pulled first baseman Josh Naylor off the bag and he didn’t secure the ball in his glove, allowing Dingler to score.
Crawford’s homer in the sixth restored Seattle’s four-run lead.
The Tigers allowed the Mariners to score a second unearned run in the eighth inning after Carpenter dropped Victor Robles‘ fly in right field, allowing Luke Raley to advance to third and to score on Crawford’s sacrifice fly.
Detroit RHP Casey Mize and Seattle RHP Bryce Miller are expected to start Game 4 on Wednesday.
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