The disgust that bubbled up over the first three innings didn’t explode until the fourth inning.
Carlos Rodon, who was battered all night, was also a victim of bad luck.
Sean Murphy’s routine grounder slid down the third base line to the sound of 45,226 groans.
Pinch-hitting left fielder Jamai Jones gave chase and misplayed the ball around the corner, kicking it away for the eighth run, allowing the speedy Murphy to run all the way to third base.
The game is over and it’s not even half over yet.
The boos, loud and resounding, the likes of which have been seldom heard this season, echoed through the Bronx until Rodon took his place in the dugout. The date said June 21, 2024, but it felt like any time in 2023.
The Yankees were soundly thrashed by the Braves, 8-1, in the series opener on Friday, setting an unofficial major league record for the decibel level of booing heard by a team that finished 51-27.
A club that had little to worry about a week ago has now lost three straight games for just the second time this season and six of eight games overall.
For the first time in their otherwise smooth season, the Yankees found themselves in a bit of disarray.
“It’s been a tough week for us, that’s one of the things that’s happened,” manager Aaron Boone said after the Yankees lost on all fronts, “and in a lot of ways, the worst thing is that we’ve definitely gotten stronger in a lot of areas.”
“Everything went well, [this is] It reminds me, ‘Oh, this is hard.'”
Through their first 76 games, the Yankees outscored their opponents by 125 points.
During that span, Yankees starting pitchers pitched at least four innings in every game.
In Games 77 and 78, the Yankees were outscored 25-6 and outhit 33-9.
Neither Luis Gil nor Rodon completed the fourth inning, allowing a combined 15 runs in five innings.
On a night when virtually nothing went right, the Yankees’ offense was also silent.
Chris Sale and the Atlanta relievers held Boone and his team to just one run on three hits, tying their season lows, but that was practically gifted.
“It’s not going to be easy,” manager Juan Soto said after the Orioles lost, giving the Yankees a half-game lead in the AL East. “I think we’re doing what we’ve been doing since Day One, but it’s not going to be that easy. There are going to be struggles.”
“We just need to take it like men and keep moving forward.”
The late-arriving fans were better off staying home. The Braves came out on the offensive and Rodón came out screaming.
His first fastball was hit to left for a single.
On his second pitch, he threw another fastball, but Ozzie Albies beat him for a two-run homer into the left field stands, and Rodon started yelling expletives as soon as his bat touched the ball.
The damage was just beginning for the Braves (42-31), who have not been as dominant as they were in past seasons and entered the game ranked 12th in runs per game.
Three batters later, Austin Riley hit a 3-1 fastball home to the bullpen. After an inning, three of the Braves’ first four batters reached base, capped off by a one-run single by Jarred Kelenic.
The frustration grew when Ramon Laureano’s double in the third inning brought in a run.
There were boos in the fourth inning when Matt Olson hit a two-run homer before being walked and Murphy’s exquisite double made Rodon’s night look a lot like last season’s.
And it sounded very similar to last season.
“That’s just how it is,” Rodon said of the booing after he gave up eight runs (seven earned) on 11 hits and two walks in just 3 2/3 innings. “Obviously, I didn’t play to my potential. That’s just how it is here.”
The Yankees’ lone run came in the second inning when Jones’ high fly ball drove left fielder Adam Duvall to the warning track, then Duvall turned around and lunged for a hit at third base, missing Jones’ run on DJ LeMahieu’s grounder, which led to the final cheers of the night.
A rare ray of hope came when Joendoris Gomez, who replaced Rodon, pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings.
The Yankees’ final stumble offers another rare ray of hope: The team hopes it can learn how to bounce back again.
“We’ll get through this short period,” Boone said. “And I think Carlos will, too.”
