New York Yankees shut out for fifth time in August; manager Aaron Boone says team ‘should be ticked off’
New York is 9-19 since the All-Star break
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The New York Yankees offense which has been so feared throughout the 2022 MLB regular season has hit a wall and manager Aaron Boone is hoping that it lights a fire under his team before it's too late.
For the fifth time in the month of August, the Yankees were blanked, losing 4-0 to the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium Friday night.
Jameson Taillon #50 of the New York Yankees looks on from the dugout after being pulled from the mound during the sixth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium on August 19, 2022 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
"I feel like we’re pressing a little bit," Yankees infielder DJ LeMahieu said. "Ticked off, frustrated, all of it."
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Boone agreed following the loss as the Yankees' lead in the AL East has dwindled down to eight games.
"We should be ticked off right now and we need to start playing better. Plain and simple," Boone said, according to ESPN.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Andrew Benintendi #18 of the New York Yankees looks on during the seventh inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium on August 19, 2022 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
"You pour a lot into trying to shake hands at the end of the day, and we've been able to do that on balance on a really high clip this year. We've hit a rough patch and we've got to dig ourselves out," Boone said. "We can sit here, and I can keep answering questions and talk about it ... but we've got to go do it. And the good news is we've got all the pieces in that room to do that. I know that's coming. I know it's going to happen, but it really sucks going through it."
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After beginning the season at a torrid pace, New York has struggled mightily since the All-Star break, going 9-19 to start the second half of the regular season. It’s the third shutout for New York in the last six games and their fifth loss in the same time span.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The only win this week for New York came against the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday when Josh Donaldson launched a walk-off grand slam with the Yankees down three runs in the bottom of the 10th inning.
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The Yankees are now three games back in the loss column to the Houston Astros for the best record in the American League.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Manager Aaron Boone #17 of the New York Yankees walks to the dugout after taking Jameson Taillon #50 (not pictured) off the mound during the sixth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium on August 19, 2022 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
"I don't give a crap about the [divisional] lead," Boone said. "Play better. We'll handle it. You can talk about that – eight, nine, seven, 10 – we need to play better. If we play like this, it's not going to matter anyway. We handle our business, we're in a great spot. We understand that. But we need to handle our business."
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New York and Toronto play the second game of their three-game series Saturday at 1:05 p.m. Eastern.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Associated Press contributed to this report