The New York Yankees once had a double-digit game lead at the top of AL East. However, they have hit a seemingly endless patch of difficulty since the MLB transaction deadline.
The Yankees have dropped to 9-19 since August 2, suffering their fifth loss in their last five games Friday night to the Tampa Bay Rays.
After the humiliating 9-0 loss, Yankees coach Aaron Boone voiced his disappointment at the team’s play at the end of the hour.
“It was a shameful loss,” Boone told reporters. “Hopefully, one of those undersea situations where you should be annoyed and embarrassed.”
While Boone doesn’t see the Yankees’ struggles as a lack of effort, he does say the team doesn’t meet the organization’s standards.
“I think the effort is there, I think the care is there,” Boone said. “But we’ve set a much better standard in that room that we have to start living up to.”
Friday’s outburst is not the first time Boone has shown emotion after a loss this season. At the end of August, Boone slam shut his hand rests on the podium during his post-match press conference following a 5-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Yankees still command AL East with a 79-53 record, but their lead in the league shrank significantly in the second half of the season. The Rays are the division’s closest enemies to the Yankees, sitting behind five games in preparation for action on Saturday.
