Following the Yankees’ 3-2 loss to the Tigers in Williamsport, manager Aaron Boone tried to make a desperate assertion about his team’s efforts to challenge left-handed Tarik Skubal. Despite the limited Yankees’ offensive output, their manager remarked that while they didn’t capitalize as much as they’d hoped, they made the pitcher work hard for his outs.
“I thought we made him work hard,” Boone told reporters after the loss. “He’s tough. We didn’t do a lot against him obviously. But I thought we made it challenging for him.”
However, Boone’s words of spin fail to convince those who know the stats. In their recent matchup against Tarik Skubal, the Yankees showed patience at the plate, working deep into counts early in the game. Gleyber Torres, for example, fought through an eight-pitch at-bat to start the game, and both Jose Trevino and Anthony Volpe had lengthy at-bats in the second inning. Despite drawing four walks, the team struggled to convert those opportunities into hits against the All-Star pitcher.
The Yankees’ ongoing struggles against left-handed pitchers have become a significant concern, with their inability to perform well against southpaws becoming increasingly apparent. While their challenges against standout pitcher Tarik Skubal, a potential Cy Young candidate, might be excusable, their overall record against left-handed starters highlights a more troubling trend.
Yankees’ performance contradicts Boone’s stance
As of Monday, the Yankees’ .712 OPS against left-handed pitchers ranked them 13th worst in the majors. This weakness is underscored by their win-loss record: the team has only secured 13 wins in 32 games started by left-handers. By contrast, they boast a much stronger 60-33 record against right-handed starters.
This discrepancy could pose serious challenges for the Yankees as they enter the final stretch of the season and prepare for potential playoff matchups. While Aaron Judge and Juan Soto continue to excel against all types of pitching, the rest of the lineup has struggled to produce against left-handers.
DJ LeMahieu, a regular in the lineup against lefties, has been particularly ineffective, managing just a .406 OPS with one home run in 66 plate appearances against southpaws. Similarly, Alex Verdugo has underperformed with a .606 OPS against left-handed pitching, leading to his reduced playing time in these situations. This lack of production prompted the brief call-up of switch-hitting prospect Jasson Dominguez, though his debut offered little immediate help.
Rookie shortstop Anthony Volpe has also struggled to generate power against lefties, posting a .636 OPS. The Yankees had hoped that Giancarlo Stanton’s return from injury would bolster their lineup, but he has similarly faltered, recording just a .663 OPS against left-handers this season.
This persistent weakness against left-handed pitching has been a season-long issue for the Yankees, and if left unaddressed, it could prove costly in the critical games that lie ahead.
The Mets’ strategic decision to deploy four left-handed starters played a key role in their season sweep of the Yankees, while also keeping right-hander Luis Severino from facing his former team.
Looking ahead, the Yankees are set to encounter a challenging stretch, with six left-handed pitchers lined up to face them in their next nine games. This test begins on Tuesday when they host the Guardians, with Cleveland’s left-hander Matthew Boyd taking the mound.
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
Boone and his staff take it for granted that the Yankees will beat anyone. Even their relief pitchers are failing. When the bullpen is shown on TV , the coach is hardly ever paying attention to them warming up. My thinking the pitchers are warmed up, as far as their arm, but are they on target to face batters, nit just throw the ball. Boone doesn’t know what he talks about most of the time. Therefore, every comment he talks about has a lot of “you know” he doesnt know what he means. Get rid of most of the staff. The players are all trying, some after injuries, but they give a try.
Boone’s lame attempt at defending Holmes blowing save #TEN is sickening.
The Yankees will never win another W.S. with Boone at the helm. His analytic approach sucks eggs.
I don’t rip Boone, but then again I don’t give Boone any credit either. Change Boone all you want, but unless Cashman goes nothing will change.
What is Boone supposed to say publicly? Rip his team? What good does that do, it’s not like Cashman is going to let Boone play his choices, or make some personnel choices because that’s what Boone wants. Boone is the Manager, but the GM picked these coaches. Plus, you think Cashman would let him even say ‘No Comment’, and let Boone’s tone and facial expression do the talking for him.