By The Numbers: Yankees below .500 at latest point in season since 1995

The New York Yankees are in a position they’ve avoided for nearly 30 years. 

Following their 2-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday, the Yankees dropped to 60-61 on the season, making the first time they’ve had a losing record through their first 120 games since Sept. 5, 1995, when they were also 60-61. For reference, current Yankees manager Aaron Boone was in Double-A at the time and still two years away from making his big-league debut. Derek Jeter had just been called up from the minors that same week.

Interestingly, the ’95 Yankees went on a six-game winning streak after dipping below .500 in August and won 19 of their final 24 contests to make the playoffs for the first time in 14 years — and the first of 13 consecutive appearances during the “Core Four” era.  

The 2023 Yankees look to have a steeper hill to climb, sitting 6.5 games out of a playoff spot entering Thursday. Whether they finish above .500 is also worth monitoring. The proud franchise has produced 30 consecutive winning seasons, which is the second-longest mark in MLB history (the Yankees previously went 39 seasons between losing campaigns from 1926-64).

With that, let’s dive into some of the glaring numbers that tell the story of these Yankees (courtesy of FOX Sports Research). 

+2000: After being a playoff mainstay for each of the past six seasons, the Yankees’ playoff odds are slimmer than ever, falling to +2000 following Wednesday’s loss. That’s a steep drop from the -500 odds they had to make the postseason prior to Opening Day. 

16: Following their historic start to the 2022 campaign, the Yankees have been a middling team for more than a season’s worth of games. They’re 101-102 since July 5, 2022, which is the 16th-best record in baseball during that time. A lot of their struggles have come on the road, where they hold a .422 winning percentage over that span (23rd in MLB). 

46: The Yankees have won only 46 of the 100 games they’ve played after the All-Star break the past two seasons. They’re 11-19 thus far this summer (after going 35-35 last year). New York hasn’t been under .500 in the second half since 1992, which was also the last time the franchise finished with a losing record. 

What is happening with the Yankees?

24: New York has a .413 winning percentage since the start of June, the 24th-best mark in baseball. Even worst, it has a .313 winning percentage in road games during that stretch, which fourth-worst road mark in the game. 

5: The Yankees are currently last in the AL East, 3.0 games behind Boston. It’s a spot they haven’t finished in since 1990, when there were seven teams in the division. That’s also the only time the Yanks haven’t ended a season in last place. 

.417: The Yankees are just 15-21 (.417) in games against divisional opponents. The .417 winning percentage would be their worst against divisional opponents since 1969. 

1: New York is 13-18 in one-run games. Its .419 winning percentage in such games ranks 25th in the majors. 

21: The Yankees have also had a tougher time than most rallying. Their 21 comeback wins are the fourth-fewest in baseball. The last time they had fewer than 30 comeback victories in a season was 1981, when they had 16. New York has also been outscored by 46 runs in the first three innings of games this year. That’s also the fourth-worst mark in baseball. 

.444: The biggest issue for the Yankees this season has been their offense outside of Aaron Judge, who’s missed 54 games. They’re 36-31 when he’s in the lineup but just 24-30 when he doesn’t play. That .444 winning percentage would be the fifth-lowest in baseball. 

Will Yankees miss MLB postseason for first time since 2016?

32: The Yankees have a .475 winning percentage in games against right-handed starters. That’s on track to be their worst mark since 1991. 

30: Entering Thursday, there isn’t a single player on the Yankees on pace to hit 30 home runs, a far cry from last year when Judge hit an American League record 62. The last time the Yankees didn’t have a player hit 30 homers in a season was 2016, the year before Judge’s first full season. 

5: New York is one of only eight teams this season to record five or fewer hits in 30 games. Its offense has also scored five or more runs just 48 times. The Yanks are on pace for their fewest such games since 2014.

28: The Yankees are hitting a measly .238 with runners in scoring position this season, which ranks 28th in baseball. 

1: Perhaps adding insult to injury, the Yankees have beaten the Red Sox just once through their first six meetings. Their .167 winning percentage versus Boston is tied for the franchise’s second-worst this late in a season. The only year New York started worse against its main rival was 1912, when the Yanks lost 14 of its first 15 games to the Red Sox. That was eight years before they acquired Babe Ruth. 

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