The wheels have completely come off the Yankees‘ wagon.
New York—a shoestring playoff contender for much of the 2023 season, even if it never gained a foothold atop the AL East—lost its ninth consecutive game Tuesday evening, falling 2–1 to the Nationals. The Yankees mustered just two hits in the loss, both from catcher Ben Rortvedt.
The losing steak is New York’s longest since 1982, when the Yankees lost nine straight from Sept. 13–21. They finished 79–83 that year, cycling through three managers a season after winning the pennant at the height of owner George Steinbrenner’s most mercurial era.
As Talkin’ Yanks noted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, none of New York’s current players had been born yet in 1982.
The last time the Yankees lost nine straight games (1982), no one on the current Yankees roster was alive pic.twitter.com/9BnIi3rPoS
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) August 23, 2023
“I think we’re doing and saying the right things but we’re in it to win it. At the end of the day, you work hard to put yourself in a position to shake hands at the end of the day. When you get beat over and over again and you’re in the middle of a tough season, it makes it hard,” manager Aaron Boone said.
The Yankees have not lost 10 in a row since a 13-game losing streak (with one tie) from May 21 to June 6, 1913.
