Yankees Are Big Apple’s Last Hope for Title in 2024 After Soul-Crushing Losses in Hoops, Hockey

If New York is going to celebrate a championship in one of the four major sports this year, it’s up to the Yankees to make it happen.It doesn’t take an analytics expert to come to that conclusion. Disappointment is lingering around the Big Apple after post-season joy turned into a nightmare for New York’s Knicks and Rangers. The heroic Knicks, who played through a season filled with injuries, are done, losing in seven games to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs. The Rangers, winners of the President’s Trophy, were eliminated from the NHL Playoffs by the Florida Panthers in six games of the Eastern Conference Finals.The Mets, meanwhile, aren’t offering much hope. They stood 11 games under .500 after Sunday’s play and are teetering on being irrelevant, while the Jets and Giants are going through NFL off-season workouts with only long-shot hopes of reaching the Super Bowl in February 2025.Yet, if the Yankees continue their stellar play of late, a parade through the Canyon of Heroes in early November isn’t out of the question. The Pinstripes enjoyed a rare day off on Monday after completing an impressive road trip that ended with a three-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants.At 42-19, the Yankees own the best record in the American League and have captured nine of their last 11 games, outscoring their opponents 59-27 in those games.The Yankees’ powerful offensive lineup overwhelmed the Giants, who took a 5-3 lead into the ninth inning on Sunday only to see New York rally for a 7-5 win powered by two home runs by Juan Soto, including a two-run blast in the ninth. Yes, it’s only 61 games into a 162-game season, but the Yankees think this could be a special year.“I know we’ve got something special in that room,” the Yankees manager, Aaron Boone, told reporters after Sunday’s game. “There’s no question about that. Where that takes us, we’ll see. We have a long way to go and they all understand that. But the singular focus on the team and what can we do today to win a game and the purpose they’re playing the game for one another, you can feel that every day and that’s fun to be a part of.”Outfielder Aaron Judge, the Yankees captain, has been a machine, batting .381 in his last 34 games with 17 home runs, 34 RBI, and an OPS of 1.415. He leads the majors with 21 home runs, a 1.076 OPS, 34 extra-base hits, and 144 total bases.He was the homecoming king in the Bay Area during the weekend, leading the three-game sweep of the Giants with 6 hits, 3 home runs, 6 RBI, 2 stolen bases, and a 2.192 OPS.“It was an amazing trip for him,” Mr. Boone said of Mr. Judge. “He gave you a peek at all the tools he’s got and all the different ways he can beat you.”Mr. Soto has been worth every penny of the one-year, $31 million deal he signed to join the Yankees. His .322 batting average leads the majors and his two home runs on Sunday give him 17 homers and 53 RBI for the year.“It’s been great,” Mr. Soto said of the Yankees hot start. “We’re having a great time. We’re having great moments. We’re just having fun. That’s all I can tell you. Every day we’re showing up and trying our best.”It’s not just Messrs. Judge and Soto. Shortstop Anthony Volpe has hit safely in 24 of his last 25 games and owns a .324 batting average. His production on Sunday — a single, a triple, an RBI, and two runs scored — illustrates the value of the supporting cast. Catcher Jose Trevino was praised for beating out a double play on Sunday to keep the ninth-inning rally alive.“We’re playing for each other,” Mr. Trevino said. “That’s not to say we haven’t in the past. But this year we’re playing for the guy next to us. We’re playing for everybody on this roster. We just want it. It’s something bigger than us and playing for each other means a lot more.”The Yankees are hopeful the 2023 American League Cy Young winner, Gerrit Cole, might be ready to join the starting rotation later this month. Sidelined since Spring Training with inflammation in his right elbow, Mr. Cole was slated to make his first Minor League rehab start on Tuesday for Double-A Somerset. He has been tossing from a mound since May 4.The Yankees begin on a six-game home stand on Tuesday with the first of three games against the Minnesota Twins followed by three more at the Stadium against the Los Angeles Dodgers.The Mets, meanwhile, are 22-23 and in fourth place in the National League East after a dreadful 3-7 homestand. The Mets were 7-19 in May, erasing a promising start to the season. “Not good,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We’ve got to play better, especially at home in front of our fan base. Now we’re going on a road trip and we’ve got to start getting some Ws.”It’s too early to give up on the Mets season just yet, but another month of fruitless play would trigger serious discussions about trading first baseman Pete Alonso, who will be a free agent at the end of the season.

Yankees Are Big Apple’s Last Hope for Title in 2024 After Soul-Crushing Losses in Hoops, Hockey

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