Untold, but unmistakable, is that the Yankees are becoming what they fear: ordinary.
He still has superstars to drive his brand, most notably Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. But he only scored 711 runs this season—the Red Sox, Blue Jays, the Rays, the Astros and the World Series champion, Los Angeles Dodgers, all scored him over 100 runs.
The Yankees only have one starter, Cole, who can reliably work deep into games. Cole has a chance at winning the AL Cy Young Award, but he fell down the stretch and performed so poorly on Tuesday that he agreed with Boone’s decision to lift him to third place without a boycott.
“We have to win,” said Cole. “It’s the right move.”
The score was only 3-0, yet the game was out of reach. Nathan Iovaldi and four relievers handled the Yankees’ boom-or-bust offense with ease, allowing two single homers and a few others. Stanton expressed regret for his sixth inning shot at Green Monster, which would have been a game-binding homer in the Bronx.
“Each game counts,” Stanton said. “We just needed one more and we will have it at home. So yes, they will come back to bite you.”