It’s crisis time for the Yankees. They are a losing team this late in a season for the first time in almost three decades. To get to 89 wins, the projected number for the third AL wild card, New York would have to finish 29–12.
As difficult as that sounds, consider its current downward trajectory. The Yankees have won one of their last 13 series over the past two months, entering a weekend series against the Red Sox. Take it back further: In their past 208 games, including the postseason, the Yankees are 101–107. They have hit .232 in that span. Only the A’s and Pirates have been worse.
This is not about a patch of bad luck or a bad month. The Yankees have been in a slow descent toward this mediocrity. How in the world did New York become a last-place team with a losing record? Let us count the ways.
