Legendary Red Sox Pitcher Left in Disbelief by Yankees' Terrible Stretch
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
The New York Yankees were in a great position to run away with the American League East this season. Instead, they find themselves in third place with not much hope for a rebound.
The team is 25-32 since the start of June and has not shown many signs of turning things around. Their collapse has left many fans and media outlets shocked, including legendary pitcher and TBS baseball analyst Pedro Martínez.
"It's hard to believe that the Yankees would be at this stage at this time in the season," wrote Martínez on X. "I imagine how NY fans are feeling right now. Strap it on boys!"
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - AUGUST 05: Devin Williams #38 of the New York Yankees leaves the field during the eighth inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on August 05, 2025 in Arlington, Texas.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - AUGUST 05: Devin Williams #38 of the New York Yankees leaves the field during the eighth inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on August 05, 2025 in Arlington, Texas.Martínez is a Hall of Famer, three-time Cy Young Award winner, five-time ERA champion, eight-time All-Star and Triple Crown winner. He played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, Montreal Expos, New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies. However, he spent most of his career with the Red Sox.
During his 18-year career, Martínez won one World Series and pitched in the postseason just five times. He understands the difficulty in reaching the postseason, but the Yankees' collapse may be one for the ages.
They made additions at the trade deadline but have not won a game this month. Their pitching, offense and defense have all been inconsistent, despite star players all over their roster.
Aaron Judge was having another MVP-caliber season before a recent injury, but the Yankees are finding new ways to lose games. The calls for Aaron Boone's firing are intensifying.
The Yankees are not out of contention yet, but time is running out to shape themselves back into real contenders. The team has just a half-game lead on the Texas Rangers for the final American League Wild Card spot entering play on Wednesday.
More MLB: Mets' Carlos Mendoza Sends 3-Word Pete Alonso Message With Free Agency Looming
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
22 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
Chicago Cubs fans react to Wrigley Field's 2027 All-Star Game announcement. But what about tickets?
The MLB All-Star Game is returning to Wrigley Field in 2027 for the fourth time and first in 37 years. The festivities are still two years away, but fans at Tuesday's Cubs game were looking forward to seeing the sport's best players in Chicago. 'I'm really excited,' said Sean Healy, 56, who lives in Los Angeles but travels to Chicago for games. 'I've been to the World Series, I've been to playoff games here. Never been to an All-Star Game.' The 2027 game will be the eighth time the Midsummer Classic takes place in Chicago. The most recent was on July 15, 2003, at U.S. Cellular Field. Led by two scoreless innings from Sox right-hander Esteban Loaiza, the American League won 7-6 and gained home-field advantage for the World Series. Wrigley last hosted the MLB All-Stars in 1990, with previous games in 1947 and 1962. The last outing was remembered for a 68-minute rain delay and a lack of offense in the AL's 2-0 win. Cubs Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg won the Home Run Derby. 'We're pretty old-school, so we like old Wrigley,' Debra Brooks, 69, said Tuesday. 'We used to always enjoy coming early to catch the balls and things like that.' Cubs fans made way-too-early predictions that center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong will be present for the 2027 All-Star Game, along with shout-outs to other Cubs. Not mentioned were rookie third baseman Matt Shaw, who homered Tuesday, or left-hander Shota Imanaga, who had seven strikeouts in a quality start in the 5-1 loss. 'Hopefully Michael Busch by that time will be there, (Seiya) Suzuki will get his first nod and maybe Cade Horton and (Matthew) Boyd,' Healy said. Added Brooks: 'Not as exciting as a World Series, but it will be really cool. It's probably going to be really hard to get tickets.' The 2025 All-Star Game at the Atlanta Braves' Truist Park sold out in a blink of an eye — despite the cost. The get-in price was $220 for standing room only, while seats ranged from $260 to more than $2,500. Wrigley Field, which holds 41,649 fans, likely won't be any more generous when it comes to ticket prices. But that won't faze die-hard Cubs fans. 'I don't really have ticket shock,' Healy said. 'I paid $3,000 to sit in the bleachers for Game 3 of the World Series and I paid $2,800 on opening night in Tokyo. I won't go above those numbers though — $3,000 World Series is my threshold.' It was a long, drawn-out fight to bring the All-Star Game back to the Friendly Confines. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred pointed to a planned $32.1 million security improvement, which includes installing bollards and widening sidewalks, as the reason Wrigley won the bid. 'It really is important for us and it was important for securing the game,' Manfred said in the Aug. 1 announcement. Added Gov. JB Pritzker, who was also in attendance: 'What makes the city and state so welcoming is the kindness and the uplifting spirit of our people. So to all the baseball fans out there, we can't wait to welcome you to the great city of Chicago.' Chicago is used to hosting big events, including Lollapalooza last weekend and the NASCAR Chicago Street Race over the Fourth of July weekend. When the baseball world descends upon Wrigleyville for the 2027 event, Cubs faithful believe the area can handle the rush. 'We've got to remember that we're in a neighborhood, so there's so much that you can do,' Healy said. 'I think for people who have never been here before or have always wanted to come, it'll be very special, especially with all the events that they plan and the MLB experience.' It won't matter if it's Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Cal Raleigh or any other All-Star who plays at Wrigley Field. Cubs fans will be there and they'll say the same thing: Finally.
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
The numbers behind this Yankees slide and the time that remains to salvage the season
Access the Yankees beat like never before Don't miss Greg Joyce's text messages from The Bronx and beyond — he's giving Sports+ subscribers the inside buzz on the Yankees. Sign Up Now The Yankees enter Friday with 47 games remaining in the regular season. They're in third place in the AL East, tied for a season-worst 6 ½ games back of the Blue Jays, having also been passed by the resurgent Red Sox. Advertisement If all seems lost, plenty can change in that time — seemingly out of nowhere. Just ask these Yankees, who saw a 47-game stretch that ended Tuesday turn their season upside down.
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
For Yankees' Aaron Boone, subtle signs of a tone shift: ‘He can't just ignore everything'
Aaron Boone, in eight years as the New York Yankees' manager, has typically been upbeat and optimistic about his team and its future. He almost always defends his players, even though it has made him a target of fans who argue that the manager can dabble in delusion. The approach seems to work for general manager Brian Cashman. Before signing the manager to his most recent contract extension, Cashman praised Boone's 'temperament.' Advertisement But recently, as the Yankees endure a tailspin fueled in part by base-running blunders and general sloppiness, observers around the game say they have noticed a subtle change in the tone of Boone's remarks, which have become more matter-of-fact and grounded. It is perhaps a rare sign, they say, that the Yankees' long-running struggles might be weighing on him, too. 'I think he's just run out of things to say!' a longtime evaluator assigned by his club to cover the Yankees said in a text message. 'What else is he going to do?' a league source said. A former Yankee who played briefly under Boone said players love that he has their backs and that they don't have to worry about him 'getting on' them in public when he could do it privately. But he also said that even Boone 'has his limits.' 'He can't just ignore everything,' the former Yankee said. The most recent example of Boone's tone shift came after the Yankees scraped by for a 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday. Instead of propping up his players in front of a YES Network TV camera and reporters after snapping a brutal five-game losing streak, Boone offered analysis that was colder and more clinical than rah-rah. 'It's obviously one game,' Boone said. 'We've got to dig ourselves out here.' He said he believed the Yankees still could go on a 'great run,' but he didn't predict it. 'We've got to go do it,' he said. Manager Aaron Boone discusses David Bednar's mentality and reflects on the Yankees performance.#YANKSonYES — YES Network (@YESNetwork) August 6, 2025 Boone prides himself on being himself. He has never been the type for fiery outbursts at players in the clubhouse or team meetings. Boone prefers a personal approach. Often, he sees players at their lockers after a game or wraps an arm around their shoulder and walks with them while off the field. 'I haven't done a lot of screaming at the team as a group or yelling or raising my voice,' Boone said. 'There have been a couple times over the years. Everyone's a little bit different. Some guys are more like that. It probably happens a little more than you think.' Advertisement It's a process supported by Boone's bosses: Cashman and owner Hal Steinbrenner. The Yankees gave Boone a two-year contract extension in late February, meaning his deal won't expire until after the 2027 season. 'There's a lot of slings and arrows coming our way,' Cashman said at the time, 'despite even last year having a nice run. It wasn't ultimately what we wanted at the end, but at the end of the day, he's handled the ups and downs, the successes and failures, all the same way. I think that is a strength, that is a benefit. I know that if he wasn't the Yankee manager, it would be a feeding frenzy for him to be a manager that's coveted elsewhere, objectively. That's how we see it.' The Yankees held a seven-game lead for first place in the American League East on May 28, but since then, they have gone 27-34, tied for the fifth-worst record in that span going into Thursday. With less than two months remaining in the regular season, they were clinging to a 1 1/2-game lead for the third and final wild-card position. Just a month ago, Boone gathered his players privately after a loss and told them he believed they were the 'best team in the league,' and the next day, he publicly doubled down on it. 'I do believe that,' he said at the time. But as the Yankees have dropped in the standings, so too has Boone's penchant for the sunny side. Before Wednesday's win, he was asked about disappointing reliever Devin Williams, who melted down in consecutive losses Monday and Tuesday. 'Everyone's got to pull their weight and get it done,' he said. Boone had been a major defender of Williams, declaring him the closer even after the Yankees traded for two relievers with closing experience (David Bednar, Camilo Doval) before the trade deadline. But he didn't totally shift off that stance, adding that the Yankees would 'keep running him out there.' Advertisement And after Tuesday's loss, in which Williams fell apart in the eighth inning, Boone was particularly straightforward. 'Not good,' he said. 'Put it on record. If we don't win, it doesn't matter if we're a half-game back, a half-game up. If we play like this and we aren't stringing wins together, then it's not going to matter.' Monday, he immediately answered 'yes' to whether the Yankees' struggles had been weighing on them. 'Doesn't matter, though,' he said. 'Weigh on us, stress — we've got to win. Period.' Of course, Boone's altered tone doesn't mean he's going to do something drastic, like alienate or punish his players. When Jazz Chisholm Jr. made the unthinkable mistake of getting doubled up on first base after a popup to second base in Miami on Saturday, Boone called it a 'bad play' that 'can't happen.' But he also defended Chisholm's version of events that he was guarding against the remote possibility of Xavier Edwards purposely dropping the ball to try to force out Chisholm at second. He also defended not benching Chisholm, crediting him for 'trying to make a play.' But Boone did get heated in the dugout with first-base coach Travis Chapman after Chisholm's mistake, an interaction caught by TV cameras that Boone later told the 'Talkin' Yanks' podcast he regretted taking place out in the open. 'I think it's important to bring authenticity from this position,' Boone said, 'and I try to bring that every day.' And lately he has gotten a little realer — if not necessarily darker — about the Yankees and what they must do to avoid further dimming their playoff hopes. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
