Yankees will find out only now what they are made of

Back to Life, Back to Reality

But none of that matters if the players do not show the will and determination to begin a new winning streak. Some young players, for instance, ride high emotionally during the party and crash into an emotional morass when the team sobers up.

We have all seen this happen to talented teams in big games. One team gets up early and some players celebrate big. When the other team comes back, however, those players sink into a pit of despair and their play never recovers.

Some players simply play above their heads for a few weeks. The problem for the team is they keep running a guy out there every day, thinking he will regain his form at any moment, only to find they have sunk their season by sticking with a player too long. Aaron Hicks is playing great this year but his play from last year is still a great example.

Or a team wins by smoke and mirrors. I think the Mets recent winning streak is one of those types. But it is hard to think the Yankees was of that variety. Their numbers are very strong, including being fifth in runs (183), third in slugging (.449), and second in OBP (.351). And those are for all of The MLB.

Most importantly has been how the Yankees have played, their mentality showing through their physicality. They have not had an ugly loss since the start of the season. CC’s outing the other day that left the team down by five entering the ninth is the worst in a long time.