Wednesday night in Toronto was the latest meltdown for New York, as the Yankees dropped the finale of their three-game set against the AL East-leading Blue Jays, 8–4. The culprit? Defense — or a complete lack thereof.
The Yankees committed four errors on the night, bringing their series total to seven. Honestly, that number could’ve been higher if not for a generous scoring decision on a Cody Bellinger misplay that was ruled a triple.
And while the sloppy fielding spoke volumes, manager Aaron Boone had other ideas during his postgame press conference — even after getting ejected in the seventh inning for a fiery argument with the home plate umpire.
“Look, I think we have a very good defensive club,” Boone said. “But clearly… not giving them extra outs whether it’s through error or not making a play that we need to make, that’s cost us.”
Fans didn’t exactly appreciate the spin.
The Numbers Don’t Lie, But They’re Not Pretty Either
The Yankees have now committed 52 errors on the season. That puts them middle of the pack in the American League — not the worst, but a long way from elite. And in games where they commit at least one error? They’re 15–24. That’s not a fluke — that’s a pattern.
The defense has become a glaring weakness in a season where the Yankees already have plenty of concerns. The offense has cooled, the rotation is in flux, and the division lead continues to slip away. Now at 56–46, they sit four games behind Toronto — a team that just ran them out of the building with the help of, let’s be honest, the Yankees beating themselves.
A Familiar Feeling for Yankee Fans
Yankees fans don’t need a reminder of how defensive lapses can ruin October dreams — but they’ve got one anyway. The memories of Game 5 of last year’s World Series, where fielding mistakes directly cost New York the crown, are still fresh. So when Boone goes to the podium and says this is a “very good defensive club,” you can forgive fans for hitting the roof. Because right now, the eye test says otherwise.
So what now? The Yankees have to clean it up — fast. The AL East is unforgiving, and every unforced error moves them further from the top and closer to that dreaded Wild Card chaos. Boone can defend the defense all he wants, but at this point, the only thing that’ll silence the critics is execution.
