Why Aaron Boone Says Not to Panic About Yankees' RISP, Offensive Woes
It’s a new year, but one of the Yankees’ biggest deficiencies from last season has remained a constant so far in 2022.
The Bronx Bombers, who struggled while hitting with runners in scoring position in 2021, ranking 26th in MLB in this area, are off to a poor start in these situations with a .180 batting average (27th in baseball) across eight games this season.
These issues were once again on full display in the Yankees’ latest 2-1 loss to the rebuilding Baltimore Orioles in extra innings on Friday night. New York went just 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on-base.
These two teams went to extras in a 1-1 tie, before Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman walked in the winning run for the Orioles in the 11th inning.
Although Chapman failed to get out of this critical jam, manager Aaron Boone acknowledged that one run is not enough from the offense.
However, Boone believes It’s premature to condemn the Yankees for repeating last year’s narrative of struggling with runners in scoring position since it’s still so early in the season.
“It’s fair to say that about last year,” Boone said following Friday’s 2-1 loss. “Let’s check back with us. We’ll be fine. If we got a third hit, it was a great night. The bottom line is, one run is not gonna get it done. We gotta do better than that. We gotta get after it and come out and put together some better ABs tomorrow.”
The Yankees had a prime scoring chance in the top of the sixth with the bases loaded and one out. But Aaron Hicks bounced into an inning-ending double play. The Yankees would not get on base for the remainder of the night, excluding two ghost runners in extras.
“Frustrating to not be able to put more on the board,” Boone said. “But we gotta get over it and put together some better ABs tomorrow.”
Despite the Yankees’ continued struggles in the early part of the regular season, Boone believes his team is better overall this year, which is why he thinks they’re going to turn the corner soon.
“I just think we’re better overall, and I think that’s gonna manifest itself,” Boone said. “Obviously we want to be better than 2-for-11, but that wasn’t the problem tonight. We didn’t get enough anything tonight…we didn’t have a very good offensive night. That’s what we gotta turn the page from."
”I’m confident in our guys that we’ll get it rolling,” Boone said. “Hopefully that starts [Saturday].”
MORE:
- Yankees Weigh in on Controversial Call That Led to Walk-Off Loss in Baltimore
- Yankees Prospect Josh Breaux Feels Changes Paying Off on Both Sides of the Plate
- Aaron Boone: Yankees 'On Cusp' of Breaking Out Offensively
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