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Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Yankees greats don't like what they're seeing, either: ‘Mental mistakes are unacceptable'
NEW YORK — I've often wondered how Aaron Judge feels about the years slipping by without a championship. He's only human. The frustration must be keen, especially this summer with the Yankees going nowhere. Imagine the thought cloud over Judge's head during Old-Timers' Day on Saturday. He mingled in the clubhouse as the 2000 Bombers were honored for their third straight World Series conquest, the fourth in five years. And Judge still has none. His greatest fear is to become a latter-day Don Mattingly, who ended his 14-year career without a ring. Judge still has time – he's 34, still at his physical peak – but the determining factor will be the players around him. Other than Judge himself, I can't imagine any of the 2025 Yankees making the cut with the Joe Torre-era clubs. And I'm not just talking about talent, it's the poor fundamentals and lack of focus that's dooming manager Aaron Boone's roster. Pity. They're taking Judge down with them. Who better to ask than the last group of winners? Pleasantries aside, the former champs were critical of today's counterparts for continuing to self-destruct. 'The mental mistakes are unacceptable,' said former first baseman Tino Martinez. 'The physical mistakes you can accept: You're going to make errors, you're going to strike out. But the mental stuff, you can't have that. 'You can't give away outs, you can't make your pitchers throw extra pitches. You can't do that. You can't do that in the regular season. You definitely can't do it in the postseason.' Martinez made sure to praise Judge for his dedication and work ethic, which should've inspired the '25 Yankees by now. Instead, the Bombers are barely clinging to the third wild-card spot. 'Aaron sets the example the way (Derek) Jeter did,' Martinez said. 'There's no one more prepared than Aaron Judge. These guys have to follow that. You can't take a day off, you can't be out there thinking about something else. 'Judge is not a rah-rah guy. He's not going to yell at his team, same way Derek wouldn't. They've got to step up on their own.' Former catcher Jorge Posada was just as blunt, telling SNY, '(The current players) gotta get a little angry. They need to have a chip on their shoulder. You can't be friends with everybody.' And there was this dose of reality from former second baseman Willie Randolph. 'Teams are not afraid of us anymore,' the former captain told the network. But the real roadblock isn't necessarily the Dodgers or Blue Jays or the Astros. It's the legacy of Torre's teams that've been so crushing to Boone's clubs since 2018. Think of what the 2000 Yankees accomplished. Not only did they take down the Mets in the Subway Series, they did so after a mediocre 87-win season. Eight teams won more games than the Yankees during the regular season. The Bombers racked up 15 losses in their final 18 games in September, including the last seven in a row. Yet, somehow, Torre's crew was comfortable once the calendar flipped to October. 'It didn't matter how we got to the playoffs,' said former right fielder Paul O'Neill. 'We knew once we got there, no one was going to beat us.' The Series was over in five games. The Mets played surprisingly well, but I remember what their ace Mike Hampton told me as the Yankees were celebrating yet again. 'We can't say the Yankees were lucky. We'd be lying if we said, 'if only we did this' or 'if only we did that,'' Hampton said. 'Because let's face it, they were great and they were ready for us. They had us perfectly scouted.' You won't find that swagger in today's clubhouse. The Yankees boast about their talent, which is undeniable. But the winning pedigree is missing. They prefer to talk about process. They're never going to Torre's Yankees. 'The pressure that the Yankees of today have is the fact that they're trying to get to where we were,' said former center fielder Bernie Williams. 'They have come very close on several occasions, but they still have that thing that they still need to get accomplished.' Williams added a second, salient thought that addressed Judge's burden: the ticking clock. 'They're not getting any younger,' Williams said. 'Time is kind of running its course on this generation. That's the pressure that they face, that they still haven't gotten. You know, haven't been able to (win a championship.)' The nostalgia for that era grows stronger every year the Yankees come up short. Even Doc Gooden, who's been inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame and had his No. 16 retired at Citi Field, couldn't turn down an invitation to the Yankees' Old-Timers' Day. There Doc was, wearing the pinstripes, in honor of his two rings in the Bronx (1996, 2000) and in memory of the only no-hitter of his career in 1996. 'There was no way I was going to say no to the Yankees,' Gooden said. 'I'm a Met at heart, but I came here out of respect to the Steinbrenner family. George was the one who saved my career.' Gooden paused long enough to describe a revelation when he stepped into the Old-Timers' clubhouse Saturday morning. 'So I turn around and I'm standing next to Roger Clemens, Mariano Rivera, Bernie Williams,' Gooden said. 'No disrespect to the Mets, but teammates like that, all you can say is, 'Wow.' That's something you never forget.' Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription. Bob Klapisch may be reached at bklapisch@
Newsweek
16-06-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
12-Year MLB Bench Boss Slams Door on Return to Managing
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. When the team was struggling, Toronto Blue Jays bench coach Don Mattingly was rumored as a candidate to take over for manager John Schneider. Now that the Jays are holding onto an American League Wild Card position at 38-33, the rumors have quieted. More significantly, Mattingly has himself decided his days as a bench boss at the MLB level are over. More news: Longtime Cardinals Pitcher Announces Sudden Retirement From MLB In an interview with Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer on the Phillies Extra podcast, Mattingly effectively put to rest any rumors he will manage again, saying "I think the managing side of things is over for me." "I'm kind of at an age where ... I'm kind of getting to the same point that I got to with Preston (Mattingly's son and the Phillies' farm director) and his older brother," the elder Mattingly said. "My son Louie is 10. He's kind of getting to that age that I want to be involved with that." Mattingly continued: "I think the older you get, the less you enjoy the role, the travel, the busses, and the hotels. I still love the ballpark and the field. But it's getting tougher for me to say in a full-time role to have the time, and feel like I have the energy to do it at the manager level. That's a whole different level." More news: Phillies All-Star Shut Down From Throwing After Troubling MRI In his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers (2011-15) and Miami Marlins (2016-22), Mattingly went 889-950, leading his teams to four playoff berths in 12 seasons. Manager Joe Maddon #70 of the Chicago Cubs and the National League and Coach Don Mattingly #8 of the Miami Marlins and the National League look on in the first inning during the 88th MLB... Manager Joe Maddon #70 of the Chicago Cubs and the National League and Coach Don Mattingly #8 of the Miami Marlins and the National League look on in the first inning during the 88th MLB All-Star Game against the American League All-Stars at Marlins Park on July 11, 2017 in Miami, Florida. MoreThe losing record underscores the success Mattingly had behind the bench of the Dodgers, his first-ever managerial job after being promoted from hitting coach. The Dodgers never posted a losing record in Mattingly's five seasons, and his final three seasons kicked off an unprecedented run of eight consecutive National League West titles. More news: Former Orioles, Twins Pitcher, Cincinnati Native, Dies Unexpectedly at 54 In Miami, Mattingly's teams only produced a winning record once, but they took advantage of it to clinch a Wild Card berth in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, then won a playoff round against the favored Chicago Cubs. Mattingly, 64, left the Marlins voluntarily after the 2022 season with more wins (437) than any manager in franchise history. He was named the Blue Jays' bench coach prior to the 2023 season. More news: Legendary Two-Sport Star Whose Grandson Followed Him to Cardinals Dies "I've enjoyed the bench coach because John Schneider's a good guy," Mattingly told Lauber. "Originally I came in, Schneider was a young manager. He's grown by leaps and bounds since then. He's passed the point of me. He's a really good communicator. The managing side, I feel like, has passed me by. "Maybe managing Louie's 12-year-old team, maybe I can still do that." For more MLB news, visit Newsweek Sports.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Aaron Judge Projected to Break Yankees Record After Latest Home Run
Aaron Judge Projected to Break Yankees Record After Latest Home Run originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Unless you've been living under a rock for the past three months, it's pretty much impossible to miss how great New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge has been during the 2025 MLB season. Advertisement Sure, Judge has already scaled dizzying heights as a hitter for the most storied franchise in baseball history. He holds the Yankees' single-season home run record and has won the American League MVP award twice in the last three seasons. Whether or not he wins a World Series, he will go down as one of the coldest to ever do it in Yankees colors. But what Judge has been up to this 2025 MLB season surpasses any and everything that he has achieved through his ninth full season in the major leagues. The 33-year-old has unlocked a whole new level as a hitter based on his stats and the eye test this season. Judge leads the major leagues in batting average and hits. He notched up his 25th home run of the season through 66 games against Cincinnati on Wednesday. New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99)Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images This brings his numbers to .394/.490/.779, with an OPS of 1.269. This OPS figure is the highest that any hitter has achieved since Barry Bonds' heyday in the early 2000s. Advertisement Judge is on pace to surpass Don Mattingly's 1986 record of 238 hits for the Yankees. If he produces at the same rate, he will end 2025 with 241 hits, which would place him tied-11th on the all-time MLB leaderboard. It goes without saying that Judge is facing possibly the toughest pitchers to ever grace the diamond. He has upped his production by swinging less often and reducing his strikeout tendencies. The Yankees' captain would be hoping to maintain this pace and help his team return to the World Series after their 2024 loss to the Dodgers. Related: Dodgers Land on Wrong Side of MLB History After Cardinals Shutout Related: Chris Rose Makes Major Yankees Prediction After 5-Game Win Streak This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 12, 2025, where it first appeared.
