Aaron Boone Responds to Yankees Legends' Criticism

The New York Yankees have all eyes on them, and their manager is responding.

Jul 19, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone (17) in the dugout before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees are sinking fast. After being swept by the Miami Marlins for the first time in franchise history, the team is sitting third in the American League East, and thoughts of a World Series run seem to be slipping away by the day.

Former Yankees champions are sharing their thoughts about what is going wrong, with Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez questioning the accountability within the team.

"They make way too many mistakes," Jeter said. “And you can’t get away with making that number of mistakes against great teams. It just doesn’t happen. They had baserunning mistakes today—you saw [Trent Grisham] getting thrown out at home plate. You can’t continue to do it. You have to clean it up."

"If any one of us made a mistake, we would be sitting our butt right on the bench," Rodriguez said. "I see mistake after mistake, and there’s no consequences."

Apr 22, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Former MLB players Alex Rodriguez (right) attends game two of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Boone heard the noise and responded after the team's final loss to the Marlins, explaining that when the Yankees are in a rough patch, everyone is talking about it.

"Look, we’re the Yankees," Boone said. "When we lose games, if it’s in and around a mistake, that criticism is fair game. At the end of the day, we have all the pieces to be a really good team. That’s on me and all of us to get the most out of that."

At one point this season, the Yankees held a seven-game lead in the American League East and looked like a real competitor to challenge the Los Angled Dodgers for a World Series win. Today, they're below the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox, and don't look to be in that same space as a contender heading into the fall.

And like Boone pointed out, all eyes are on New York right now.

Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more!

• Yankees Manager Gets Brutally Honest After Historic Loss
• Yankees Make Awful MLB History Against Marlins
• Luis Gil Makes First Yankees Debut Since Injury
• Yankees Legends Slam Team for Struggles
• Yankees Announce Aaron Judge Return Plan