They've won 10 of the last 11 division championships in the NL West, and are tied for first again this year. The season they didn't finish first, they still won 104 games.
They've won over 100 games 4 times since 2017, and broken their franchise record for wins, twice. Last year—another 111 wins.
How do they do it? The old-fashioned way. An outstanding farm system that keeps churning out major-league players. All other needs augmented in what are usually savvy trades and free-agents signings (looking at you, Freddie Freeman).
Yes, they have their occasional, weird implosion, such as Cody Bellinger. But they always seem to make it up. Hell, they even jacked Mookie Betts away from the BoSox.
And yet...they've only made it to the World Series thrice in that time, and lost two of those. The only time they did win was during the Plague Year, 2020, when they polished off the Over-Achieving Tampa Devil Rays. Take away their 4 series wins that October, and they are a mere 10-10 in playoff series since 2013.
What gives?
Well, mostly this mug.
Year-in and year-out, Clayton Kershaw is one of the greatest pitchers in the history of the game. Three-time Cy Young winner. MVP winner. Five-time NL leader in ERA, winner of the "Pitching Triple Crown"—most wins, lowest ERA, most strikeouts—in 2011.
Come October, though, Clayton goes from a 204-91, 2.50 pitcher, to just 13-12, 4.22. And again, take away the (short) season of 2020, and he's a mere 9-11 in October.
In short, the playoffs are a crapshoot, because Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers' ace, is usually crappy.
What's our excuse?
My god Horace, where do we begin . . . .
ReplyDeleteYankee management doesn't have any excuse. It's guilty as charged. Of not trying to win.
ReplyDeleteSomeone will always soften the blow for HAL/Cashman and say, "well, they're not trying as hard as they can to win" and "they aren't actually trying to lose" and "they wouldn't mind if they won" and so on.
All true, but that's just semantics. Either management is doing all that is reasonably within its control to win or it's not. The current Yankee administration has strayed from its core directive of being the greatest winning franchise in team sports to one that merely cannibalizes its glorious past while reaping profits and avoiding taxes. They are now known mostly as the greatest financial franchise in team sports today.
Haven’t seen as much of Cash this season as we have in recent years.
ReplyDeleteWondering why that is . . .
Loved it yesterday when Spike jumped up dancing and took off his jacket to reveal he was wearing a Judge jersey underneath after Aaron went yard.
That was a pure moment of celebratory Baseball entertainment.
Hopefully, they are going to put Cash on dry ice and stick him in a drawer in the refrigerated mortuary.
ReplyDeleteHammer - I did hear a rumor that there was such a refrigerated mortuary ten stories below the field at Yankee stadium.
ReplyDeleteSO "They" wouldn't have to travel far to make that happen.
ReplyDeleteThe Yankees win the World Series of Finance...Year. After. Year. Financially they are the '27 Yankees every season. We spoiled complainers would do well to remember that greatness.
NOW NESTOR is going to the IL with shoulder inflammation .
ReplyDeleteGood bye Nasty - we greatly enjoyed your time with the New York Yunkeez . . .
:(
Damn! That's a shame. Really.
ReplyDeleteIt turns out that Gerrit just had cramps. I will leave the jokes to the rest of you.
Currently, according to Forbes, the Yankees are tied for 4th as the wealthiest sports franchise in the world. The top 3—and most of the top 50—are NFL franchises.
ReplyDeleteCowboys are first, followed by the Patriots and LA Rams. Yanks are tied with the NY Giants, with an estimated worth of $6 billion, and an increase in value of 62 percent since 2018. They have been as high as second in these rankings, in recent years.
You can see how little performance has to do with any of this. The Cowboys haven't been in a Super Bowl in 30 years. The Patriots are in clear decline. Hell, the JETS are ranked 11th, with an estimated wealth of $5.4 billion—just behind the Lakers.
What matters most, obviously, is the sport, the market, and the TV money. The "moral hazard" of losing is largely removed.