Yankees Need to Make Changes as World Series Drought Grows

The Yankees’ up-and-down season ended in disappointment on Tuesday night when they fell by a score of 6-2 in the Wild Card Game against the Boston Red Sox.
And with their latest loss, the Yankees’ World Series drought now grows to 12 seasons, which is the third-longest streak in franchise history. In fact, they haven’t even won a pennant since they captured their 27th title in 2009.
After the game, manager Aaron Boone stated the obvious: the Yankees are no longer the team to beat in the American League.
"The league has closed the gap on us," Boone said. "We've got to get better in every aspect. Because it's not just the Red Sox and the Astros now in our league. Look at our division, the Rays are a beast, Toronto, there's some teams in the Central that are better and better, teams in the West that are better and better, teams that have closed the gap on us."
Boone’s comments drew major backlash, and rightfully so. The Yankees were once an organization that considered any season without a championship to be a bust.
However, their last five playoff appearances dating back to 2017 ended in ALCS, ALDS, ALCS, ALDS and WC losses.
"The league's closed the gap on us. We've got to get better"
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) October 6, 2021
Aaron Boone talks about the mood in the Yankees clubhouse, reflects on the 2021 season, and discusses what his message was to his team pic.twitter.com/4WHwq5gg02
These results haven’t been very Yankee-like, and now Brian Cashman is going to have to step up to restore the franchise to their proper standards again this offseason.
Whether that means spending like madmen or not, the Yankees are clearly in need of some changes before the 2022 season.
So, when Boone says other teams are “closing the gap,” what he failed to mention is the Red Sox and Astros have both won titles in the last five seasons. And the Rays won the pennant in 2020.
The Yankees on the other hand, have not even been to the World Series since ’09. And for that, they must take action to get back to being the evil empire, who are legitimate championship contenders’ year in and out.
MORE:
- This Pivotal Play Made Loss in Wild Card Game Sting Even More For Yankees' Stars
- Aaron Judge: ‘I Want to Be a Yankee for Life’
- Yankees Manager Aaron Boone ‘At Peace’ With Uncertain Future
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Pat Ragazzo is the main publisher and reporter for the Mets and Yankees On SI sites. He has been covering the Mets since 2018 and Yankees since 2021. Pat was selected as The Top Reporter & Publisher of the Year 2024 by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP) for outstanding leadership, dedication, and commitment to the industry. He has appeared on several major TV Networks including: NBC4, CBS2, FOX5, PIX11 and NY1; and is a recurring guest on ESPN New York 880 AM and WFAN Sports Radio 101.9 FM. Pat is also the Mets insider for Barstool Sports personality Frank "The Tank" Fleming’s podcast. You can follow him on Twitter/X and Instagram: @ragazzoreport.
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