The New York Yankees lost twice in a single game against the Cincinnati Reds. As the country erupted with 4th of July fireworks, the Yankee Stadium bore witness to fireworks of a different kind. After the National Anthem was over every player left for the dugout except for four – the Yankees’ Cody Poteet and Ian Hamilton and the Reds’ Graham Ashcraft and Carson Spiers. And then came an epic standoff. 

Though standoffs are nothing new in baseball, it’s always exciting to see players indulge in some light fun. However, for the Yankees fans, this was a completely new experience. Broadcaster Michael Kay noted, “I’ve never seen the Yankees do this,” as it slowly turned into a bizarre scene. With each passing minute, the four players continued to stand off against each other. 

However, Aaron Boone had enough after 5 minutes. The Yankees skipper signaled the pitching duo to be done with it and leave the field. With loud jeers, the two left for the dugout as the Reds celebrated their first win. 4th of July had begun in a defeating manner for the Bronx Bombers and that trend would continue till the end.

In the end, the Yankees lost 8-4 and for the first time in a long while got swept in an interleague series. That continued their recent losing streak and raised even more alarm on the team’s performance. Fans even questioned Boone’s decision to call back the player during the stand-off and noted how that showed the lack of “edge” in the skipper. As for the Reds, the stand-off “set the tone” for them.

“That was pretty awesome of (Ashkraft) just to kind of win that one for us and kind of give us a little edge before the first pitch,” Steer said per AP News. However, for the Yankees, this just elongated their suffering.

Terrible loss leads to Aaron Boone urging the Yankees to step up

It’s hard to fathom how the New York Yankees were the first ones to cross the 50-win mark this season, given that they now sit with just 54 wins weeks after breaking that barrier. This has led to a lot of uproar among the fanbase. Now, skipper Aaron Boone has urged the players to step up and turn things around before they spiral out of control.

“We’ve gotta play better on all fronts. It’s like we’re playing catchup a lot, which is a difficult way to placement right now,” Aaron Boone said. “A lot of our mistakes are ending up in the seats, and that’s obviously hurt us.” Later Boone noted that a “kick in the butt” is necessary to get the realization. This is what that kick is and now the team needs to react.

“When it’s not going well, it’s on all of us to pick it up a little bit,” Boone noted. Certainly, it is a great motivational speech. But the bottom line remains that the New York Yankees are succumbing to the pressure. A quick revival is important or else things can go south rather quickly.