Could one concerning trend derail Yankees' championship aspirations?

On paper, the New York Yankees are one of the best MLB teams in 2025. They’re second in OPS and third in runs scored in all of baseball, and they lead the AL East with a 42-28 record. However, whenever the spotlight is on them, they turn into a comically terrible team.

The issue first reared its head in a World Series rematch against the Los Angeles Dodgers a couple of weeks ago. Riding a five-game winning streak into the series, the Yankees proceeded to get dominated. 

The Dodgers outscored them in the first two games of the series by a combined scored of 26-7, including a game in which Bombers ace Max Fried gave up eight runs (six earned) in five innings. New York won the series finale, but it wasn’t enough to reverse the moral damage.

Another opportunity for the Yankees to shine in big moments came when they welcomed the Boston Red Sox to the Bronx in the first weekend of June. Boston isn’t having a great season, hanging around .500 and sitting at fourth in the AL East, but the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry gives these games a playoff-like feeling despite the disparity in the two teams’ records.

New York started strong, winning the first game 9-6. But the Yankees then gave up 21 runs as they lost the next two contests.

This weekend in Boston, the Yankees again came up short. Their offense was to blame this time, as they scored just four runs while dropping three-straight games to their rivals. Even Aaron Judge went ice cold, going 1-for-12 and striking out nine times in the series.