Yankees Dangerously Close to Losing Wild Card Spot

The New York Yankees are set to face off against the Texas Rangers for the third game of this losing series, and this feels like a make-or-break moment. After five consecutive losses, this game will either see the Yankees keep their AL Wild Card spot, or lose it to the Rangers.

This is a familiar feeling of dread for fans watching the 2025 Yankees. We felt it from June 30-July 3, when the Yankees gradually lost their secure lead in the AL East during a four-game sweep to the Toronto Blue Jays. The Yankees are now 6.5 games behind the Blue Jays and 3 games behind the Boston Red Sox in the division, and have now lost all five games since last week's trade deadline.

The Yankees lost an 8-5 game to the Rangers in extra innings to start the series, ending with a walk-off three-run homer pitched by new Yankees reliever Jake BIrd. Bird has since been optioned to Triple-A after a very short tenure in pinstripes.

In this second loss, the Yankees went seven scoreless innings with the Rangers before the game got away from them. Reliever Devin Williams, who had just blown a second consecutive save the night before, was put in in the eighth inning when Rangers first baseman Rowdy Tellez hit a two-run single. The score held at 2-0.

After their failed World Series bid in 2024, the Yankees were expected to come back with a vengeance. With a 25-34 record since May 28, however, it's beginning to look like they won't make the playoffs, and even manager Aaron Boone is beginning to crack. Prior to the Yankees 2-0 loss, Boone expressed a sense of urgency.

"The season’s getting shorter in a hurry,” Boone said. “So it’s no time for excuses and feeling bad. I know everyone feels like crap, but we got to go take it. Haven’t been able to do that on this road trip so far. But we got to do it better.”

The last time the Yankees didn't make the playoffs was in 2023, when they placed fourth in the AL East. Aaron Judge, the Yankees superstar and reigning AL MVP, still has not won a World Series despite a record-shattering career. This year, he is likely poised for yet another miss among a talented lineup who just can't seem to win ball games.

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