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The Yankees are the most successful baseball team in history, but they haven’t won a World Series in nearly a decade. What does this mean for the team now?
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A Look Back at the Yankees’ Last World Series Win
It’s been nine years since the New York Yankees have won a World Series, and the fans are restless. The last time the Yankees won the World Series was in 2009, when they beat the Philadelphia Phillies in six games. This was the Yankees’ 27th World Series win, and since then, they’ve been to the playoffs six times but have failed to win it all.
Why the Yankees Won
It was the bottom of the ninth inning, and the Yankees were down by one run. The bases were loaded, and there were two outs. All hope seemed lost. But then, miraculously, the Yankees’ shortstop Derek Jeter came to the plate and hit a walk-off home run, giving the team a 3-2 victory and their 27th World Series title.
That was back in 2009, and since then, the Yankees have failed to make it back to the World Series. Some fans have started to wonder if the team will ever be able to recapture that magic.
Part of the reason why the Yankees haven’t been able to win another title since 2009 is because they simply haven’t been able to put together a team that is as talented as that ’09 squad. Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, Curtis Granderson, and CC Sabathia were all in their prime back then and formed one of the most feared lineups in baseball.
The pitching staff was also dominant, led by Sabathia and Aroldis Chapman. The team had a deep bench too, with players like Brett Gardner and Francisco Cervelli providing valuable contributions.
Since 2009 though, most of those players have either retired or moved on to other teams. Jeter is the only member of that ’09 team who is still with the Yankees today. And while he’s still a classy guy and a great ambassador for the game of baseball, he’s no longerthe superstar player he once was.
In order to win another World Series title, the Yankees are going to need to assemble a new core of talented players. They have some young stars like Aaron Judge and Luis Severino who have already shown promise, but they’re going to need more than that if they want to win it all again.
The good news for Yankee fans is that the team does have a lot of money to spend on free agents this offseason. So perhaps they will be able to add some more impactful players to their roster and make a run at another championship in 2020.
What the Yankees Did Right
In 2009, the New York Yankees won their 27th World Series title. It was their first championship in nine years, and it came after a season in which they’d been beaten in the ALCS by the eventual world champion Philadelphia Phillies. The Yankees’ win was a remarkable achievement, made all the more so by the fact that they did it without their two best players, Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter.
So, what did the Yankees do right?
For one thing, they had a deep and talented lineup. Their top seven hitters (Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, Jorge Posada,Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon, Nick Swisher, and Brett Gardner) all produced at an above-average level. They also got solid production from their bottom three hitters ( Melky Cabrera, Robinson Cano, and Curtis Granderson).
The Yankees’ pitching was also excellent. C.C. Sabathia won 19 games and posted a 3.37 ERA; A.J. Burnett won 18 games and posted a 4.04 ERA; Andy Pettitte won 14 games and posted a 4.16 ERA; Javier Vazquez won 15 games and posted a 4..86 ERA; Mariano Rivera was his usual dominant self in the closer’s role, saving 44 games while posting a 1..76 ERA; and Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain were excellent out of the bullpen.
The 2009 Yankees were a deep and talented team that was able to overcome injuries to key players like Rodriguez and Jeter. They’re a reminder that you can never have too much talent on your roster.
What the Yankees Need to Do to Win Again
It has been nine long years since the New York Yankees have won a World Series title. The last time the Yankees won was in 2009, when they defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in six games. Since then, the Yankees have made the playoffs six times, but have never made it back to the World Series. In order to get back to the top, the Yankees need to make some changes.
Improve Pitching
The New York Yankees haven’t won a World Series since 2009, and many people think that their lack of pitching is to blame.
In order to improve their pitching, the Yankees need to start by looking at their bullpen. They need to find pitchers who can come in and relieve starting pitchers when they are struggling, and who can also close out games.
The Yankees also need to look at their starting pitching rotation and figure out who their ace pitcher is going to be. They need someone who can go out there and consistently give them quality starts.
If the Yankees can address these issues, then they will be in a much better position to win a World Series.
Improve Hitting with RISP
The Yankees have not won a World Series since 2009, when they defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in six games. Since then, they have made it to the ALCS five times and the ALDS four times, but have failed to make it back to the World Series. There are many factors that contribute to a team’s success, but one area that the Yankees have struggled in recent years is hitting with runners in scoring position (RISP).
In 2018, the Yankees ranked 13th in MLB in batting average with RISP (.252), and 12th in OPS (.737). They also struck out more often than any other team with RISP (292). Compare that to 2009, when the Yankees led MLB in batting average (.282) and OPS (.842) with RISP, and struck out the second-fewest times (232).
There are a number of ways to improve hitting with RISP, including making more contact, hitting for more power, and having a better approach at the plate. The Yankees have some of the best hitters in baseball, but they need to be more consistent if they want to win another World Series.
Improve Fielding
In order to win again, the Yankees need to focus on improving their fielding. The team’s last World Series win was in 2009, and since then, the team has not made it past the American League Championship Series. In order to improve their chances of making it back to the World Series and winning, the Yankees need to focus on improving their fielding. The team’s fielding percentage was .983 in 2008, which was ranked first in the league. In 2009, the team’s fielding percentage dipped to .980, which was still good for second in the league. However, in 2010 and 2011, the team’s fielding percentage dropped to .973 and .971, respectively. This dip in fielding has coincided with the team’s lack of success in recent years. If the Yankees want to win again, they need to focus on getting back to being one of the best fielding teams in baseball.
The Yankees’ Chances of Winning the World Series in the Next Few Years
The Yankees haven’t won the World Series since 2009, but they have made it to the playoffs every year since then. This year, they lost to the Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series. The Astros are a young team with a lot of talent, and they are only going to get better. The Yankees are an aging team, and their window of opportunity is closing.
The Yankees’ Pitching Staff
The Yankees have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball. Their starters are all young and have a lot of potential. They also have a great closer in Aroldis Chapman. The team’s bullpen is very strong, with Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller, and Tyler Clippard.
The Yankees’ Hitting
It’s no secret that the Yankees have been struggling to find their rhythm at the plate recently. They are currently ranked 23rd in the league in runs scored, and their .240 team batting average is good for only 21st in the MLB. However, there is reason to believe that the Bronx Bombers’ offense will start to click in the second half of the season.
First and foremost, the Yankees have too much talent not to start hitting eventually. They have guys like Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Gary Sanchez in their lineup who are some of the best power hitters in baseball. Not to mention, they also have veteran leaders such as Brett Gardner and Didi Gregorius who know how to get on base and score runs.
Another reason why the Yankees’ offense will start to produce is because they will be getting some help from other teams in their division. The Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox are two of the worst teams in baseball, and the Yankees will play a combined 27 games against them in the second half of the season. This means that they will have a lot of opportunities to pad their stats against subpar pitching.
The bottom line is that although the Yankees’ hitting has been terrible as of late, there is still reason to believe that they will turn it around and start scoring runs in bunches. If they can do that, then they will definitely have a chance to win the World Series in the next few years.
The Yankees’ Fielding
The Yankees have long been known for their strong batting lineup, but in recent years, their fielding has begun to lag behind. In the last World Series that the Yankees won, in 2009, they had one of the best fielders in baseball, Mark Teixeira, at first base. But since then, Teixeira has retired, and the Yankees have not had a first baseman who comes close to his level of play. This has put a lot of pressure on the team’s pitchers and outfielders, who have had to work harder to make up for the lack of run support from the infield.
One of the biggest problems with the Yankees’ fielding is that they have not been able to find a good replacement for Teixeira. They have tried several different players at first base, but none of them have been able to provide the same level of play. This has made it difficult for the team to score runs, and it has put a lot of pressure on their pitchers.
Another problem with the Yankees’ fielding is that they have made some poor decisions when it comes to personnel. In 2014, they signed Brian McCann to be their starting catcher. McCann was a good hitter, but he was not a good fielder. As a result, he was not able to provide much help to the team’s pitchers or fielders.
The Yankees’ fielding problems have also been compounded by injuries. Injuries are always a part of baseball, but the Yankees have been particularly unlucky in recent years. In 2016, they lost two of their best infielders, Alex Rodriguez and Starlin Castro, to season-ending injuries. These injuries created holes in the lineup that the team has not been able to fill.
The Yankees’ fielding problems are not an insurmountable obstacle, but they are a significant concern for the team. If the Yankees want to win another World Series in the near future, they need to address these issues and find ways to improve their play on defense.
