BREAKING NEWS: Mets finally broke Yankees manager Aaron Boone
Losing is never enjoyable, and everyone can agree on that. However, losing to your younger sibling? That’s as bad as it gets. Just ask New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who may have finally reached his limit after Wednesday night’s 12-3 defeat by the crosstown Mets.
Since Boone was hired at the end of 2017, his job status in the Bronx has been in varying states of urgency. Although the Yankees have made the playoffs every year under Boone, fans who are used to a ‘World Series or bust’ mindset from the Derek Jeter/Mariano Rivera era find Boone’s postseason shortcomings hard to overlook.
With a record of 60-44, the Yankees currently hold the top Wild Card spot and are only 1.5 games behind the Orioles for first place in the A.L. East. However, considering they once had the best record in baseball, their current downward trend in the fight for playoff contention is concerning. Even worse, it’s starting to affect the usually unflappable Boone, who expressed his frustration after the nine-run loss that secured a Mets Subway Series sweep for only the second time since the series began in 1997.
Aaron Boone: “We’re pissed off in there. We got a lot of pride in there. We have a lot of expectations. Stretch, slump, recent — I don’t give a shit. We got to play better the rest of the way.”
— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) July 25, 2024
Aaron Boone is mad as hell, and he’s not gonna take it anymore
Yankees fans have been eager to see some fire from Boone, frustrated by what they perceive as a lack of accountability from him and his players. This could be the start of that, but until the Yankees improve their play, Boone’s words will seem empty as his seat grows hotter.
The Yankees are 11-23 since June 13, the second-worst record in baseball during that period. In contrast, the Mets are playing their best baseball of the year, having more fun than any other team in the league. The Mets’ 29-15 record since the beginning of June is the best in MLB, and they’ve embraced the Grimace era while utility infielder Jose Iglesias has soared to pop stardom with his hit single “OMG.”
This extended run has pushed the Mets into the second Wild Card spot in the National League, just 1.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves for the top spot. The Yankees are still 5.5 games better in the standings, but you wouldn’t know it from the contrasting moods of the fanbases and performances of the teams.
The Yankees’ nosedive is reminiscent of the Philadelphia Eagles’ past season. The Eagles started 10-1, looking like Super Bowl favorites, but then fell apart, losing five of their last six games and exiting meekly in the Wild Card round to the Tampa Bay Bucs.
Fortunately for Boone and his team, there are still 58 games left in the regular season, providing ample time to turn things around. The Yankees have a chance to do so when they begin a three-game series against the Red Sox at Fenway Park on Friday. However, if they lose to their other little brother in a lopsided fashion, the season could spiral out of control, potentially taking Boone down with it.