A slumping club with high expectations? Torre can relate
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NEW YORK – The Yankees hosted the 77th Old-Timers’ Day before Saturday’s 5-4 win over the Astros at Yankee Stadium. The event also commemorated the 25th anniversary of the club’s 2000 World Series championship.
Joe Torre managed that team, and he often has conversations with manager Aaron Boone about the 2025 Yankees, who have a 20-30 record since June 13. New York was in third place in the American League East after Saturday's win, six games behind the Blue Jays, and clinging to the third and final AL Wild Card spot by one game ahead of the Guardians -- with both teams playing later Saturday.
Torre knows what Boone is going through. The 2000 team also had its ups and downs. It hovered around the .500 mark during the first three months of the season, then got back on track in July and August, going a combined 36-20. But the Yankees slumped during the final month of the season, going 13-18 in September and October.
Many thought the Yankees wouldn’t go far in the postseason. But Torre guided them to their third straight title by beating the Mets in five games in the World Series.
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“Joe and I have actually been in contact a lot the last couple of weeks. He is hanging on everything with us,” Boone said. “We’ve had a lot of contact back and forth – text messages, things like that.
“[I was reminded] of that 2000 team that ended up losing 15 out of 18 [to close the regular season], won [87 games] and caught fire and went on a run. Certainly, we are hoping for that kind of run. It has been a tough couple of months for us. I still maintain that we have guys capable of going on a really good run, but again, at this point, it’s all talk.”
Torre and Jorge Posada – the starting catcher on the 2000 team – believe the ‘25 Yankees will get out of their slump.
“There are plenty of games left," Torre said. "Boonie knows what he has here and knows he is going to get a run out of these guys. The pressure involved with putting on the pinstripes, it’s hard to put into words because it’s so different."
Said Posada, “It looks like they are in a little funk, and they are right in it. They are about to come out of [the slump]. It’s early enough where they can get into the playoffs and move forward.”