For the first time in 15 years, the American League season is over, but not for the Yankees.
For the first time in 15 years — five of which ended in the AL Championship Series — Yankees officials and players did not follow the familiar checklist.
–We were a winning team that missed out on the championship.
–The fans deserve better.
-We will continue to work harder to get back to the World Series.
The Yankees were probably the last team left in the AL this year, since they couldn't even make that statement last postseason. They returned home with the rest of the wreckage before October. Is it possible that missing the playoffs entirely was the best thing to happen to this franchise?
Some organizations may celebrate the Yankees' 31st consecutive winning season, 82 wins and 80 losses. Some franchises may be counting on the only five times they've missed a playoff campaign in the last 30 years as a safeguard. The Yankees treated their record of 82 wins and 80 losses like toxic waste.
Their response was even worse — much worse — than the White Sox, who lost an MLB record 121 games. Hal Steinbrenner called the 2023 season “terrible” and Brian Cashman called it a “disaster.” And they translated their actions into words. So were the players.
Steinbrenner approved a franchise-record salary of more than $300 million, saying he doesn't need a $300 million salary to win a championship. Cashman won't leave the winter meetings without Juan Soto. The Yankees offered Yoshinobu Yamamoto $300 million, and when he was turned down, they invested in Marcus Stroman. Five prospects were acquired at the trade deadline for Jazz Chisholm and Mark Leiter Jr.
And long before spring training, not only were there more fans than ever at the Yankees' minor league facility, but rumors began to circulate about physical and mental differences. It was a skinny Carlos Rodon and Giancarlo Stanton. It was more of a noise-blocking credo. All the good and bad didn't matter, all that mattered was winning. Winning has been the answer to everything since 2023, when they recorded the second-longest championship drought in franchise history (14 seasons).
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“This is a tough group. We really made it tough on them last year,” Cashman said on the field after the Yankees won Game 5 of the ALCS 5-2 in overtime in 10 innings for their first pennant since 2009. I'm not just talking about doing the groundwork in the gym in the offseason, getting to Tampa early, all that stuff, no one wants to have the same experience as last year. We had a lot of talent last year. Things didn't go our way, some of it was by our own hands, others happened by chance. But at the end of the day, this team came in with a hungry spirit. But then you have to play, and the team always had a hungry spirit.”
It was somewhat reminiscent of the birth of the 1998 Yankees, which began in 1997 at the same Cleveland ballpark (albeit with a different name). After winning it all in 1996, we felt the sequel was better, but lost in the decisive Division Series game here at 5. That led to the imports of Chuck Knoblauch and Orlando Hernandez. And a relentless force of talent and will that produced 125 wins and arguably the greatest team of all time.
This is not a club that can do everything at a high level. The 2024 Yankees have a major flaw. However, with their power, goal prevention, and fortitude, they won their 41st pennant. These are the 2024 Yankees. They have an impressive 7-2 record in the postseason, which is the equivalent of 126 wins in the regular season. But they weren't overwhelming.
All nine playoff games were decided by three points or less. The Yankees scored the go-ahead runs in four innings like this: the 7th inning of Game 1 of the Division Series, the 8th inning of Game 3 of the Division Series, the 9th inning of Game 4 of the ALCS, and the 10th inning of Game 5 of the ALCS.
Their margin for error is low and their tenacity is high. They can earn minimal profits most of the time. For example, Gleyber Torres and Soto have been active at the top of the lineup, reaching base in 15 of 18 first-inning at-bats in the postseason. However, the other Yankees were 0-for-23 in the first frame, allowing the Yankees to score just four points from there. On Saturday night, Torres was ejected at the plate after Soto's double in the first inning, reminding us that the Yankees are the worst base running team in the majors.
But somewhere in all the trades and weightlifting and bonding, the Yankees steadily built their ladder from the deep end of 2023 to late Saturday night at Progressive Field. This is the scene in which Stanton, who has become both a mainstay and a Sherman among his teammates, hit a game-tying home run in the sixth inning. The organization's ability to find and maximize relief pitchers like Tim Hill and Jake Cousins (incidentally, not enough for the White Sox in 2024) came together around 5 1/3 shutout innings. And it was fitting that Soto hit the biggest home run in Yankees history, reflecting the biggest move in 2023-2024.
These are my expectations for the Yankees. That's because even if they haven't won a title since 2009, the Yankees can still say they played in 34.2 percent of the 120 World Series games. That's why 82-80 was not acceptable.
Still, it's very rejuvenating.
