The New York Yankees are a second-place ballclub.
It seemed at various points throughout the season that the Yankees would dominate the American League East. But after a 6-14 stretch and a four-game sweep at the hands of the Toronto Blue Jays this week, they're now a game back of Toronto in the standings.
It's not just that the Yankees have been losing, either. It's how they've done so--sloppy defense, inability to hit with runners in scoring position, and more bullpen blow-ups than nearly any Aaron Boone-managed team has experienced.
However, in spite of his team's swoon, Boone is pledging to stay the course. And he's using language that is sure to invoke anger among the die-hards in his fan base.
According to infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr., Boone told his team Thursday night, after their 8-5 loss in the Blue Jays series finale, that they're still "the best team in the league."
“We knew we were going to hit a speed bump,” said Chisholm, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.
Of Boone's message, he recounted, “Just block out the noise and go out there when we get back home in New York [on Friday], and just do what we do.”
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Boone, meanwhile, held resolute in his desire for this Yankees team to compete for a championship.
“I don’t want us to flinch,” Boone said, per Hoch. “I want us to come here, ready to prepare. Prepare, compete, win. We’re preparing to go out there and compete our [tails] off, and I know that if we do that well enough over time, we’ll win.
At 48-39, the Yankees are now tied with the Tampa Bay Rays for the AL's fourth-best record. They've got 4 1/2 games of separation over the first team out of the Wild Card picture at the moment.
So while maybe it's still not time to press the panic button, the proof is in the pudding: right now, these Yankees aren't only not the best team in the AL. They're not even close.
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