About Yesterday: Deja Boone All Over Again. Tigers 6, Yankees 2 in 11 Innings
- Tim Kabel
- 1 day ago
- 6 min read
About Yesterday: Deja Boone All Over Again. Tigers 6 - Yankees 2 in 11 Innings
By Tim Kabel
July 2, 2026
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The Yankees did it again. They lost another game yesterday. They snatched defeat out of the jaws of victory even more convincingly than they did on Sunday against the Red Sox. The Yankees have now lost seven games in a row for the first time since 2023. That year, they had a nine-game losing streak from August 12th to the 22nd. They wound up with a record of 82-80 and did not make the playoffs.
The current Yankees team has now lost seven games in a row. They have lost eleven of their last fourteen games and their record is 12-15 since Aaron Judge went on the IL with a fractured rib.
A week ago, the Yankees were in first place in the American League East. They are now in second place three games behind the Rays, at this writing. The Rays are beating the Royals as I am writing this 4-0 in the eighth inning. If the Rays beat the Royals last night and again today, they will be four games ahead of the Yankees when the Yankees open the series against Minnesota Friday night. That’s Baseball, Suzyn.
For those people who don't believe the Yankees are currently in a Boone- Swoon, I would argue that not only are the Yankees in a Boone-Swoon, but it is also likely to last a while. I would also remind those people that the earth is in fact round. The Yankees were 12 -14 in the month of June.
Let's put it this way, when Suzyn Waldman and Dave Sims are waxing poetic about how things will improve drastically when Trent Grisham and Ryan McMahon return on Friday, I am not filled with confidence. Fine, Grisham was hitting better when he was injured but since he is only playing one minor league rehab game, it will probably take him some time to get his swing down. Ryan McMahon could take until the end of time, and he wouldn't get his swing down. McMahon is batting .210 with 8 home runs and 23 RBI.
Yesterday, the Yankees were trailing 2-0 entering the 9th inning. Amed Rosario hit a home run. Jazz Chisholm singled, and then stole second and third base. He scored on a wild pitch. The game then went into extra innings. In the bottom of the 10th inning, with runners on 2nd and 3rd, Ali Sanchez struck out swinging.
In the top of the 11th, the human torch, Camilo Doval, replaced Fernando Cruz. With two outs, Doval walked Riley Greene and Hao-Yu Lee. He then walked Spencer Torkelson to bring in the go-ahead run. Zach McKinstry then singled to right field and all three runners scored, partially due to a throwing error by Ali Sanchez. The Yankees went quietly and meekly in the bottom of the 11th inning.
There are several things that stick out from this game. First, Aaron Boone’s fascination with Anthony Volpe continues. Volpe had the weakest of infield singles in the 9th inning. Prior to that, he had been in another lengthy slump, going 2 for his last 25. In the 4th inning, Jazz Chisholm doubled with two outs. Anthony Volpe who was the next batter, decided to bunt. I have no idea how that makes any sense. If Volpe had been out because of the bunt attempt, the inning would have ended. If he successfully beat the bunt out for a hit, he and Chisholm would have been on base with Austin Wells at the plate. No matter how badly Volpe is slumping, he is still a far better hitter than Austin Wells. The announcers were questioning Volpe’s judgment on that play. Later, in the 9th inning with one out, after Jazz Chisholm scored the tying run, Anthony Volpe was thrown out trying to steal second base. I'm not saying that Volpe would have scored if he hadn't tried to steal the base and failed. However, the Yankees had momentum and had just scored two runs to tie the game. After Volpe was thrown out, Spencer Jones popped out to end the inning.
Now, let's get into the Boone portion of the Boone-Swoon. In the 8th inning, Boone sent Spencer Jones up to pinch hit for Austin Wells. The announcers questioned sending a left-handed batter up to pinch hit for another left-handed batter, but it did make sense. It was a very good move, actually. I would much rather see Spencer Jones hitting than Austin Wells. Heck, I would rather see Shirley Jones hitting than Austin Wells. Spencer Jones singled to rightfield. After that inning, Spencer Jones remained in the game in centerfield. That is fine but the move that Boone made was to shift Jose Caballero from centerfield to rightfield. That removed Jasson Dominguez from the game. It would have made more sense to move Caballero to shortstop and remove Volpe from the game, but I think that is actually forbidden under the Boone regime. It might even be part of Boone’s contract.
Bringing Camilo Doval in in the 11th inning was gift wrapping the game for the Tigers. Doval had pitched well recently but you knew in a pressure situation that he would collapse. He certainly did.
The Yankees are most definitely in the midst of a Boone-Swoon. To paraphrase Robert Preston as Professor Harold Hill in The Music Man, we've got trouble right here on River Ave. Trouble with a capital “T” and that rhymes with “B” and that stands for Boone. As usual, Aaron Boone has no answers and no solutions for the latest collapse of his team. His standard response is to look bewildered and befuddled and then become confrontational and sardonic with whichever media person dares to question him.
Before the All-Star break, the Yankees will play three games against the Twins, four games against the Rays, and three games against the Nationals. The Twins are usually an easy opponent for the Yankees, but we can't say that this year. They are actually three games ahead of the Tigers in the standings and we saw what the Tigers just did to the Yankees. The Rays are in first place and are playing very well right now. The Nationals are in fourth place in the National League east but are two games above .500 and are in the Wild Card race.
Things do not look good for the Yankees right now. They are in trouble, with a capital “T” that rhymes with “B” that stands for Boone-Swoon.
A Few Tidbits:
· The Yankees made 17 errors in their last 12 games, which is the most in the Major Leagues over that stretch. I guess it's good to be the best at something.
· The Yankees had 7 hits yesterday and totaled just 23 in their last 6 games. The Cubs had 17 hits and scored 23 runs yesterday alone.
· The Tigers swept a series from the Yankees for the first time since 2008. They also won the season series against the Yankees.
· On July 1st, 1941, Joe DiMaggio singled off Boston's Jack Wilson in the 4th inning to stretch his hitting streak to 44 consecutive games, tying Wee Willie Keeler's American League record.
· On July 1st, 1950, Whitey Ford made his Major League debut in relief against the Boston Red Sox. He went 4.2 innings, allowing five runs. He would go on to become the winningest pitcher in Yankees history.
· On July 1st, 1990, Andy Hawkins threw a complete game no hitter but lost the game 4-0 against the Chicago White Sox. Aaron Boone is apparently studying footage from that game, hoping to add it to his repertoire.
· On July 1st, 2013, Andy Pettitte recorded the 1,957th strikeout of his Yankees career, during a 10-4 win over the Minnesota Twins. He passed Whitey Ford for the most strikeouts in team history. Pettitte finished his Yankees career with 2,020 strikeouts.
· On July 1st, 1863, The Battle of Gettysburg began, which was a turning point in the civil war. I know somebody who just wrote a book about it. I also know my friend Roger, who was a drummer for the union army during that battle. He took a musket ball off his left pinky, which adversely affected his drumming ability.
· On July 1st, 1898, the United States won the Battle of San Juan Hill in the Spanish-American war near Santiago, Cuba. Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders led the charge along with the 9th and 10th Cavalry regiments, the Buffalo Soldiers, up Kettle Hill. This propelled Theodore Roosevelt to national fame and eventually, the presidency.
I realize these last two entries don't have anything to do with the Yankees or baseball, but they are extremely important events in American History and are much more interesting than the way the Yankees have been playing lately.
***
After a day off, the Yankees will open a three-game series against the Twins at 7:05 PM at Yankee Stadium on Friday night. Gerrit Cole, (2-3, 4.06 ERA) will face Mike Paredes, (0-1,4.26 ERA). If the Yankees beat Paredes, they should have a parade.
