By Miguel Rapetti
The elimination of the New York Yankees in the regular season of the Major Leagues has brought another disappointment in 2023 to the fans of the Mules, who have not been able to win the World Series since 2009, and now, after the statements of Aaron Judge and Aaron Boone, it was Anthony Rizzo who analyzed the team’s progress.
In statements after this Monday’s 6-4 victory against the Arizona Diamondbacks for Bryan Hoch, Rizzo was self-critical of the team’s participation in the recent campaign and believes that to start improving it is necessary to see and be aware of the bad things that They were made this year.
“You can’t just sit here and say what we did this year is good enough to continue next year. First you have to look in the mirror and say, ‘Why wasn’t this clubhouse good enough?'” the slugger said.
Rizzo’s comments also sounded regretful for not having performed as expected this campaign, which was plagued by injuries for the former Cubs and which ultimately left him with a low average of .244 with 41 RBIs and just 12 home runs.
He later referred to the fact that the Yankees’ failure was not due to group disunity or internal problems, but rather because they did not have the baseball necessary to achieve results.
“It’s not that the personalities didn’t mesh. There was no division here. But throughout the season we just didn’t play well enough. There are things behind that, but I think as you get even deeper into the offseason, you’ll be able to analyze what didn’t go well,” he added.
Although Rizzo’s words do not point to anyone in particular, they could be a direct criticism of manager Aaron Boone, who has been strongly questioned throughout 2023, especially by the fan sector who considered a game proposal unsuitable. attractive and of few results.
The Yankees, who certified their postseason elimination for the first time since 2016 after losing this Sunday to the Diamondbacks, will now have the only goal of the season in the remaining six games (series against the Toronto Blue Jays and Kansas City Royals) not to finish the campaign with a negative record.
The last time the Yankees finished with more losses than wins in the Major Leagues in the 162 games of the regular round was in 1992, the year in which those from the Bronx finished with 76 wins and 86 losses, being the last time they left a negative balance in MLB. .