The Yankees Channel 1996 & Hope History Repeats Itself

I’m thinking back to 1996 and suddenly feeling very old. The Yankees are down 2-0 in the World Series and it doesn’t feel good at all. We’ve been here before though, and we ended up beating the Atlanta Braves. So, anything is possible. This could be the inspiration we need that changes everything. As Yogi Berra once said “it ain’t over till it’s over.”

And we are now back in the Bronx, back on our own home turf. Back to that rich tradition of Yankee greats of the past. Back in 96 Joe Torre was in his first year of his managerial career (soon to be legacy) and his back was up against the wall. He had a much more demanding boss in George Steinbrenner back then who was expecting nothing short of miracles and victories to become World Series Champions. 

Here we are again in 2024. While it is clear that Aaron Boone is no Joe Torre (nor will he ever be), and Hal Steinbrenner doesn’t have the passion to win like his dad did, the Yankees can still pull this off….but it’s going to be really hard. It also makes tonight’s game a MUST WIN. We ain’t dead yet, but we are hobbling and stumbling. If the Yankees want this, they are going to have to play their butts off.

Playing their butts off also means getting Aaron Judge right again. He’s getting plenty of pitches in the zone, he’s just not hitting them. Judge looks lost at the plate. His mechanics are okay, they aren’t wonky but his timing is. Judge is pressing at the plate and cracking under the pressure instead of just going with the flow and trusting his talent. It’s hard to watch and he needs to pull himself out of this. 

If Baboonie were smart, he’d make some changes that might help get the lineup going instead of making some cutesy move that backfires like he did in game 1 that I’m still mad about. Baboonie needs to cut some of the pressure. Maybe swap Juan Soto and Judge in the batting order and see if that sparks something. And speaking of making swaps, don’t get cute and bench Austin Wells for Jose Trevino. You need your best catcher playing right now, even though Wells is struggling offensively. Trevino is not an offensive upgrade but would be a defensive liability behind the plate. The Dodgers are already capitalizing on our weaknesses…. let’s not add a catcher with lesser defense that can’t throw into the mix.

This series comes down to Judge. We’ve got to get him going again. He left a lot of runners on base during the first two games that could have turned the game around. This ain’t over yet….but it’s get late early out there if Judge can’t pull himself out of this slump and hit. 

I’m not giving up…. but I am frustrated. Let’s hope some of that 1996 magic is still out there and makes an appearance tonight. We need it.

–Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa