The Yankees just can’t seem to stop the bleeding. Sunday afternoon, it was the Houston Astros doing the slicing, a 7–1 loss in the Bronx that felt like déjà vu for a team now 3–7 over its last 10 games. Every defeat seems to hurt just a little bit more than the last, like a slow leak that turns into a busted pipe. And yet… Aaron Boone is still talking about a run. Not the “grab-your-broom-it’s-a-sweep” kind of run, but the kind where you wake up in October and say, “How in the world did we get here?”
Boone’s Optimism Has Nine Lives
Boone’s optimism is the kind you keep in a drawer labeled “For Emergencies Only.” He got tossed in the third inning — classic Boone — but after the game, there he was, telling the media this season is far from buried. “The game is littered with dead and buried teams,” he said, pointing out that the Yankees are technically clinging to a playoff spot. A thin one, sure. But a spot nonetheless.
The Math Is Still on Their Side… Barely
And he’s right in one sense: baseball has seen plenty of teams pull a rabbit out of a hat in August and September. Boone insists the Yankees have “the people to do that, no doubt in my mind.” Those people have to, you know, hit the ball. Score runs. Win games. That’s the whole “consistent baseball” thing he keeps hammering on.
Different Year, Same Tightrope
Here’s the rub — in 2023, Boone didn’t think they even had the horses to run the race. This year, he swears it’s different. They’re in control. They’re still in the fight. But that control is a slippery thing when you’ve got the Guardians breathing down your neck, just a half-game back for that final AL Wild Card.
So here we are. The calendar is creeping toward the part of the season where “We’ll turn it around” turns into “Maybe next year.” Boone’s vision sounds good in the press room. The question is whether the guys in pinstripes can make it come alive on the field — before the clock runs out.
