Another MLB season has come and gone in New York. For the third time since 2017, the Yankees were on the doorstep of returning to the World Series. Unfortunately, they’ve been denied on all three occasions by the Houston Astros. The most recent postseason meeting between these two was especially painful for the Bombers.
There is a lot of chatter about what needs to happen next. Is a change in leadership needed? Should it be with general manager Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone? We think so.
But for every person that says both should pack their bags, there are others trying to justify keeping them around. After all, this is a team that just won 99 games and took home the American League East title.
Well, this is the Yankees we’re talking about. The organization with 27 World Series titles and 40 overall appearances in the Fall Classic. Whether it’s right or not, a successful season for New York is measured by winning a championship. The Bombers have posted a winning record for 30 straight years and have missed the playoffs just four times since 1995.
The Bombers haven’t had a chance to compete for their 28th title since last winning it all in 2009 because they haven’t even reached the Fall Classic. It’s been 13 years since the Yankees were crowned as American League champions. That’s the third-longest drought in franchise history:
Yankees Most Consecutive Seasons
Without Reaching World Series
18 1903-1920
14 1982-1995
13 2010-202215 of the other 29 teams have won a pennant since the Yankees beat the Phillies in the 2009 World Series
— James Smyth (@JamesSmyth621) October 24, 2022
The Yankees have been around for 120 years. All of the above droughts count, but those first 18 years were a little different because they weren’t the Yankees yet. The span from 1982-95 was painful because New York mixed in a handful of losing records before coming out of it. This included four straight losing seasons from 1989-92.
This is a good exercise in figuring out which result is more painful, though. Is it worse to not make the playoffs at all and go through tough times (like they did in the ’80s), or be on the edge of making the World Series several times and falling short?
Everyone has a different answer to that, but for me, it’s worse to get there and not have success. The losing seasons and years without playoff appearances are terrible, but expectations get tempered throughout the regular season. For a squad that wins a division title and has legitimate championship aspirations, you’re excited and expectations are high as the postseason starts. Then, it all comes crashing down in the span of a week.
So, when people are wondering why others want Cashman and Boone to get their respective pink slips, that’s why. Derek Jeter measured Yankee seasons as a failure if they didn’t win the World Series. How much of a failure is it in his eyes if you don’t even make it to the Fall Classic in the first place?
This one stat about New York’s longest World Series droughts in franchise history is probably the most convincing reason behind arguing for a change atop the organization.
Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8
