About Yesterday: The Yankees Fizzled Out

About Yesterday: The Yankees Fizzled Out Against the Mets 6-5

By Tim Kabel

July 5, 2025

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The second-place Yankees lost the first game of the second half of this year's Subway Series against the Mets at Citi Field yesterday. This was also the Yankees fifth loss in a row. The way the Mets and particularly, the Yankees have been playing lately, this should be called the Sub-Par Series instead of the Subway Series. The Boone-Swoon rages on unabated.

Quick Stats – 

·       Jasson Dominguez has raised his batting average to .271 and had his second multi-home run game of the season and his career. He also had two four-hit games in the last ten days. He will probably sit today.

·       Since May 30, the Yankees are 13-20. For anybody who thinks this is not a Boone-Swoon, you are mistaken. 

·       Anthony Volpe is 11-77 with just three extra base hits in his last 22 games.

·       Aaron Judge hit his 32^nd home run of the season in the first inning, going back-to-back with Jasson Dominguez. 

·      Yesterday, Jasson Dominguez played in his 100th Major League game. He is 22 years old. He is younger than 18 of the 50 players who will appear in the Futures Game later this month. For Dominguez and the Yankees, the future is now.

·       Luke Weaver had a 1.05 ERA in his first 24 games. He has a 13.50 ERA in seven outings since returning from a strained left hamstring. Remember, he did not have any minor league rehab games. After the game, he made a somewhat bizarre comment. “I said I've been feeling good. That just might be a lie now. I don't know. It's hard to make sense of what's going on.”

·       On July 4th, 1939, the Yankees retired Lou Gehrig's number and he delivered his famous “Luckiest man on the face of the Earth” speech. That was the first time a number was retired in Major League Baseball. 

·       On July 4th, 1960, Mickey Mantle hit his 300th career home run.

·       On July 4th, 1983, Dave Righetti pitched a no-hitter against the Boston Red Sox, winning the game 4-0. 

The Big Story – 

On May 30th, the Yankees were 35-20 and in first place by 7 games. Today, they are 48-40 and tied for second place in the American League East, trailing the Toronto Blue Jays by 2 games. Many people have brushed off my statement that the Yankees are in their annual Boone-Swoon, and that this one is particularly bad. I and the people who agree with me have been accused of being dramatic or panicking. I have been told that this is merely a “rough patch”. If this stretch of games were a road, it would be more pothole than road. 

The worst part about this year’s Boone-Swoon is that the Yankees have been playing mostly weaker opponents. Obviously, that changed when they started playing against the Blue Jays, and now the Mets. The Yankees had an opportunity to make hay, accumulate wins, and pad their lead. They did none of those things. They have two more games against the Mets and then three games each against the Mariners and the Cubs before the All-Star break. The Yankees need to begin turning this thing around before it is too late. Sadly, the manager has no idea how to do that. He never does. He simply offers inane platitudes and says things such as, “We are close”. Let me just say one thing: being close to winning is still losing.

Player of the Game – 

Jasson Dominguez was 2-4 with two home runs. He had three RBIs and a stolen base. He did misplay a ball in the bottom of the first inning but, he has been making tremendous strides in his defense as well.

Notable Performance – 

Aaron Judge was 2-4 and hit his 32nd home run.

Better To Forget-

Anthony Volpe was 0-3 and is now batting .222 for the season. He was lifted for a pinch hitter in the 9th inning.

Giancarlo Stanton was 0-3 and is now batting .224. He has 2 extra base hits and 7 RBI since returning from the IL. 

My Take – 

I have a few thoughts on yesterday's game and the Yankees’ season in general.

·       Anthony Volpe is now batting .222. He is 11-77 with just three extra base hits in his last 22 games. He has become an ineffective base stealer, and his defense is becoming somewhat erratic. Perhaps the Yankees should consider a trade. Bo Bichette is set to be a free agent at the end of the season. If he does so, the Blue Jays will not get anything back for him, other than a draft pick. There have not been any reported negotiations between Bichette and the Blue Jays. Maybe the Yankees could trade Volpe for Bichette. Although Bichette is a better player, Volpe still has years of control and potential. The Yankees could still upgrade at third base using some of their prospects. They could then potentially sign Bichette for the future, as he is still only 27 years old. Depending on whom they acquire to play third base, Bichette or George Lombard, Jr. could move to third base when Lombard is ready to play in the Major Leagues.

·       The Yankees do need to make an upgrade in the infield. DJ LeMahieu is a statue at second base, as he has practically no range. Offensively, he brings very little to the table. Honestly, it would be better to play Oswald Peraza regularly. Peraza has not proven that he can hit yet but, he is a far superior fielder, and he has potential to improve. LeMahieu does not have any potential to improve; he will only get worse. The experiment of playing Jazz Chisholm, Jr. at third base, where he is less adept so that LeMahieu could play second is not working. The Yankees need to acquire someone who can play third base so Chisholm can return to second base, where he is more comfortable and better. Chisolm is a team player who will do whatever the manager asks him to do but it would be in his best interest, as well as the team’s to move him back to second base. At this point, having DJ LeMahieu on the team is counterproductive. He should be either traded or released as soon as possible.

·       Similarly, Giancarlo Stanton has become an albatross around the neck of the Yankees. He is clogging the lineup and the base paths. For some reason, Aaron Boone insists on batting him fourth on most days. Since his return, he has two extra base hits and is hitting .224. The worst thing that could have happened to the Yankees was that Stanton hit a home run the other night in a game which the Yankees still lost. However, it created hope in the mind of Aaron Boone, who will continue to trot Stanton out there, believing that he will have an offensive explosion any day now. It is no surprise that since LeMahieu and Stanton have returned, the Yankees have struggled. Clearly, it's not all their fault but, they are part of the problem. Trading Stanton is not a viable option, so at some point, he is going to need to be released. That should happen sooner rather than later, so the team can turn things around.

·       It is unclear how long Clarke Schmidt will be out of action. The team placed him on the IL, so he will miss at the very least one or two starts and possibly more. If this becomes the worst-case scenario, he might be out for a significant period. I'm sure the Yankees will explore trade options, but I heard one of the announcers suggest the other day that they could bring up Carlos Carrasco to fill his spot. That would be a terrible idea. The Yankees should instead call up Cam Schlittler to give him an opportunity. Again, the Yankees need to stop filling the roster, the lineup, and the starting rotation with people who have no future. Because most of them have no present either. While it is true that young players can have bad games or make mistakes, they can also have great games and as in the cases of Will Warren, Jasson Dominguez, Ben Rice, and others, they can improve. Schlittler would be the best choice to bring up for however long Clark Schmidt will be out of action.

·       Finally, as Dick Van Patten said, “Eight is Enough.” In fact, in this case, eight is too many. This is Aaron Boone’s eighth season as the Yankees’ manager. The Yankees need to cut ties with Aaron Boone as soon as possible. If they want to wait until the All-Star break, I suppose they could, but that really makes no sense. Besides, they might win a few games and that could fill Brian Cashman and Boone himself with false hope. He has never proven that he can manage the team effectively or develop talent. I know he has a winning record. I know they made the World Series last year. They didn't win. They always come up short. The only question is how short. He has no creativity, ability to think on his feet, or a proclivity to improve, learn, or grow. After the game yesterday, Boone was discussing Anthony Volpe’s woeful 11-77 slump. Boone stated that Volpe’s results are “a mixed bag. I feel like one or two times a game, he has a decent swing.” Boone added, “He's going through it a little bit right now. He's got to keep working on it.” Those comments are the dictionary definition of drivel. I have seen little pieces of paper inside of fortune cookies that make more sense and are more profound than Boone’s comments after the game. Volpe is struggling mightily, and Boone tells us that every game he has one or two swings that are decent. What does that mean? “He's going through it a little bit right now”? Volpe is 11 for 77. That is dreadful. It's not just Boone’s comments after the game. It's the fact that they are indicative of his total lack of awareness as to what is going on with his players and his team. This will never get any better and if the Yankees want to salvage this season, they need to make a change. When they bring up Cam Schlittler, they can save some money and have Shelley Duncan fly up with him. He is familiar with many of the Yankees younger players and might be someone who can shake things up and move the team in the right direction.

Next Up-

The Yankees will play the second game of the three-game series against the Mets today at 4:10 PM at Citi Field. Frankie Montas, (0-1, 6.00 ERA) will pitch for the Mets. The Yankees will send Carlos Rodon, (9-5, 2.95 ERA) to the mound. Let's hope Frankie Montas pitches the way he did when he was a Yankee.