Aaron Judge, the New York Yankees' captain, never stepped into the box in October, and Max Fried, the Yankees' left-hander, watched his 80th pitch leave the park for a go-ahead homer. But the problems run much deeper than one swing.
"It's weird how they keep making the same mistake over and over again. The last six years that I've been retired, they've been putting together the same roster," retired Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia said on the All The Smoke Baseball YouTube channel
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Sabathia played 11 of his 19 years in the Bronx, so he knows that clubhouse. This year, Ben Rice, a rookie, Paul Goldschmidt, and Luis Garcia Jr., an infielder, all fought to get onto first base and designated hitter positions, leaving manager Aaron Boone with a logjam.
The logjam is where his complaint lies, and he provided more information about this kind of roster.
A Yankees icon has identified the recurring pattern costing New York its October dreams. Subscribe to stay ahead of the franchise's critical turning points.
"It's been the same type of hitters, the same type of first-base DH, don't-have-a-position type of hitters," Sabathia noted.
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"They handcuff themselves, whether they're trying to get right-handed power or always trying to get left-handed guys who can play the short porch," Sabathia added.
The lefty-heavy approach left holes in the ALDS.
For instance, the Yankees were the fourth-highest team with a strikeout rate of 24.7% in the regular season and fanned 31 against the Tampa Bay Rays, who only fanned 18.
With that, Sabathia criticized other aspects as well.
"They're further away from winning a World Series than they ever have been because all four of those teams that were in the DS in the National League would have swept us," Sabathia added.
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From this year's NLDS, the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Atlanta Braves were all ranked above the 5th-positioned Yankees (1, 2, and 4, respectively, with Rays at 3), per ESPN MLB Power Rankings from week 26 of the regular season's second half. The San Diego Padres were not that far either, ranking 7th.
New York got swept in three games against the Tampa Bay Rays, scoring only five runs and never having a lead, which was the second-best-of-five sweep in franchise history after the Kansas City Royals in 1980.
After the 2019 ALCS, the Yankees only made it to the World Series in 2024, where they lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games, and then only scored 19 runs against the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2025 ALDS.
After this season, frustration boiled over at the ballpark.
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48,865 people chanted "Fire Boone" after center fielder Trent Grisham's strikeout ended the game, bringing Boone's nine years as a manager under intense scrutiny, given that he was hired in December 2017. Judge responded to that pressure directly.
"He's our manager. He's running the ship. He puts us in the right position to go out there and succeed," Judge said during a press conference after the New York Yankees' elimination in the ALDS.
The support from Judge is significant because he missed much of the year due to injury.
A fractured rib kept him out for three months, while a calf strain kept him out for the first two rounds of play after just 66 games and a .871 OPS.
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No lineup will succeed without a slugger, but the problem began way before that.
The New York Yankees have been one of the worst offenses after June 1, coming second in home runs and 26th in batting average at .235. But the cracks were not limited to the batter's box.
Infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. had an expensive throwaway during Game 2's four-error game, while Grisham recorded minus-8 DRS and minus-6 OAA in center.
In contrast, Tampa Bay demonstrated the other side of the ledger up the middle.
Shortstop Taylor Walls racked up 21 DRS, and outfielder Jonny DeLuca contributed 13 OAA, with the Yankees relying on the inexperienced George Lombard Jr. at short.
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Yet, the spending makes for an unpredictable offseason.
The payroll is around $308.3 million, but the drought continues at 17 years, and there have been 10 different teams that have lifted the championship trophy from 2009 onward, with two wins for the Boston Red Sox.
GM Brian Cashman has to decide whether to tinker or start fresh
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Acquiring players who can hit, field, and defend would address Sabathia's complaint and provide the batting order with an October route even without Judge.
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The post "Same Mistake Over and Over Again": Yankees Legend Exposes New York's Biggest Flaw After Playoff Exit
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