New York Yankees: The 2010s in review (2015-2019)

2019

Manager- Aaron Boone

Record: 103-59, 1st in the AL East

Key Acquisitions: James Paxton, DJ LeMahieu, Gio Urshela, Cameron Maybin, Mike Tauchman, Adam Ottavino, Troy Tulowitzki, Edwin Encarnacion

Key Departures: Sonny Gray, David Robertson, Neil Walker, Justus Sheffield

Coming off one of their more painful defeats in recent history, the Yankees turned the page and really worked to make 2019 better. They brought in some more pitching help by acquiring James Paxton from Seattle and resigning J.A. Happ to a two-year deal. They also improved their bullpen by bringing in Adam Ottavino from Colorado. In addition to that, they also worked on providing more depth all around the organization. They brought in veteran experience like DJ LeMahieu. And they also gave an opportunity to Gio Urshela, a third baseman from the Cleveland Indians, who had a reputation of having a great glove, but not a great bat.

The 2019 Yankees season would turn into one of the most outrageous yet inspiring seasons in club history. Right out of the gate, the Yankees were being hit with injuries. Luis Severino, Aaron Hicks, Dellin Betances, and Didi Gregorius were all out to begin the season. Soon after the season began, Miguel Andujar, Giancarlo Stanton, Gary Sanchez, Troy Tulowitzki, Greg Bird [AGAIN], Aaron Judge, Clint Frazier, and James Paxton would all join them on the IL. It was an incredulous amount of injuries coming at a rate that nobody expected.

What people did expect was for the Yankees to be good. But they didn’t expect guys like LeMahieu and Urshela to lead the charge. Both guys arguably, provided the deadliest 1-2 combination in the Majors from April to June. Urshela wasn’t even on the Opening Day roster but because of a freak injury to Andujar, which required him to miss the rest of the season, Urshela got his chance and made the most of it. He and LeMahieu both hit well over .300 and LeMahieu was the key guy to drive in runs with his low strikeout and high contact rate. On the pitching side, right-hander Domingo German was exceeding expectations by filling in for the injured Severino. He showed great poise and command on the mound and was leading the league in wins.

The bullpen, as advertised, was virtually unhittable. If a starter gave them at least five innings, Boone would go to Ottavino for the sixth, Kahnle for the seventh, Zack Britton for the eighth, and Chapman for the ninth. The game was basically over by the fifth if the Yankees had the lead. The team took control of the division in mid-May and never relinquished it. No team would come within five games of them the rest of the way. The Yankees also made some history as they and the Red Sox played the first-ever Major League Baseball games in Europe. The two of them played a two-game set in the United Kingdom from June 29-30, with the Yankees winning both games and further proving that 2019 was different than 2018.

Throughout the season however, the injuries kept persisting. Didi Gregorius, Giancarlo Stanton, and Aaron Judge would all return in June. But Stanton would quickly reinjure himself and wouldn’t be back until September. Aaron Hicks returned on May 15, only to reinjure himself on August 3. Gary Sanchez again had a hard time staying healthy as he kept dealing with groin issues. Edwin Encarnacion, whom the Yankees obtained from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for cash and pitcher Juan Then, would miss some time when he had his wrist fractured in the first game of a doubleheader against Boston on August 3. Despite all of this, Boone and the Yankees embraced the motto of, “Next Man Up,” and the fact that they were a bunch of “savages.” They lived up to those nicknames as they had the best team batting average and scored more runs than anyone.

There were so many other unsung heroes such as outfielders Mike Tauchman and Cameron Maybin and first baseman Mike Ford. It truly was remarkable how well the Yankees played throughout the year. They breezed through the regular season with 103 wins and were rarely challenged. They also conquered the American League East title for the first time since 2012. They’d enter the postseason with another date against the Minnesota Twins. Again, the Yankees were barely challenged by the Twinks, as Didi Gregorius’ Game 2 grand slam pretty much sealed the deal. Severino, who returned to the team with just weeks left in the season, won Game 3 and the Yanks were back in the ALCS for the second time in three years. And for the second time in three years, they’d be facing the Astros, who were coming off of a 107-win season and had a deadly 1-2 pitching punch in Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole, both favorites for the CY Young Award.

The Yankees dominated the Stros in Game 1 in Houston by winning 7-0 and led 2-1 in Game 2, before George Springer and Carlos Correa’s home runs tied the series at a game apiece. The series shifted to Yankee Stadium and the Yankees wasted many opportunities to do damage at the plate and played very sloppy defense. Houston won Games 3 and 4 to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. During Game 4, C.C. Sabathia pitched in what would be the final game of his Hall of Fame career. He blew his arm and walked off the field to a standing ovation. Facing elimination in Game 5, the Yankees turned to James Paxton and he delivered big time. The Yankees also finally beat Verlander in a postseason game for the first time ever thanks in part to a humongous three-run home run by the unexpected Aaron Hicks which clanged off the right field foul pole.

The Yanks won Game 5, 4-1 to send the series back to Houston. In Game 6, the Yankees went to their bullpen, beginning with Chad Green. Green immediately put the Yankees in a hole when he gave up a three-run home run to Yuli Gurriel in the bottom of the first inning. The Yankees made it 3-1 in the second when Gary Sanchez, who was having a dreadful series, finally came through with an RBI hit. The Yankees would add another run to make it 3-2 but Houston would make it 4-2. Down to their last three outs in the top of the ninth inning, Gio Urshela led off with a single to left field off of Houston closer Roberto Osuna. DJ LeMahieu came to the plate with one out and Urshela at first. After a long at-bat, LeMahieu hit a long fly ball to right field that just got over the wall for a game-tying home run. The Yankees were back in the game as it was 4-4. However, the season came to a devastating end the next inning, when with one on and two out, Jose Altuve smashed a game-winning and series-winning walk-off home run to left field off of Aroldis Chapman to give Houston the 6-4 win and pennant.

Analysis: This season was so amazing and it had so many moments and feel-good stories. So many guys on this team contributed and they played with all of the heart and passion in the world. However, like so many teams before them, they couldn’t deliver when it mattered most. So many guys struggled at the plate against Houston, notably Gary Sanchez and Edwin Encarnacion, who both were seemingly trying to hit a home run every time they stepped to the plate. I definitely feel that if this team won the World Series, it would’ve been regarded as one of the most inspirational stories in baseball history. It was just a sad ending in a very underachieving decade.

Overall thoughts: If you asked me, the 2010s weren’t a bad decade for the Yankees. They still won more games than any other team in baseball, they just couldn’t win it all. And that happens. Baseball is a cruel sport and you’re going to lose more than you win. I think as a Yankee fan, I’ve learned that losing is the best teacher because you have to go through the tough times to enjoy the good times that are ahead. And I do believe good times are ahead in the 2020s for the New York Yankees.