Baseball’s dog days of summer are upon us. Including spring training, the season is six months in with August and September still ahead, and for the eventual playoff teams, October and maybe November as well. (The Los Angeles Dodgers won Game 7 of last year’s World Series versus the Toronto Blue Jays on November 1 to officially end the 2025 MLB season.)
Each remaining game should be meaningful for every team, yet the stakes are higher for some than others. Contrast the Yankees and Mets. The Mets were 45-62, 10 1/2 games out of the third and final National League wildcard position before their scheduled doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field in Queens yesterday. That translates into virtually no shot at making the postseason, given they lack the necessities to string together multiple four- and five-game winning streaks, especially with their best offensive player, outfielder Juan Soto, placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday due to a Grade 2 left calf strain.
Conversely, the Yankees keep churning, even with superstar outfielder and reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge last playing on May 31 due to a stress fracture in his right rib; slugger Giancarlo Stanton playing in only 24 games and out since the spring (placed on the injured list on April 28 because of a right calf strain); and outfielder Cody Bellinger going on the injured list earlier this week after straining his left hamstring.
The Yankees’ pitchers weren’t even referenced with the aforementioned trio of everyday players. Starters Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, and Carlos Rodón have all missed substantial time while recovering from injuries. Rodón, who only has nine starts this season, is on the 15-day IL with left elbow inflammation. Cole and Fried have 12 starts apiece and are slated for their 13th — Fried on Saturday and Cole on Sunday — against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
Resilience is an apt description of the Yankees. They have fought through adversity to stand razor-thin at 1 1/2 games behind the AL East pace-setting Tampa Bay Rays. Tampa Bay was 62-44 and the Yankees 61-46 when they played the Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox, respectively, last night.
Righty Cam Schlittler, who is having a Cy Young consideration-worthy season, was scheduled to be on the mound. The 25-year-old, a Yankees seventh-round pick in 2022, was 10-6 with a 2.06 ERA (tied for second in MLB), 157 strikeouts (4th), and a 0.93 WHIP (3rd).
The Yankees’ gregarious second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., who last season became just the third player in the franchise’s history — joining Bobby Bonds (1975) and Alfonso Soriano (2002 and 2003) — to reach the 30-30 milestone of at least 30 homers and 30 stolen bases in the same season (31 and 31), has been a driver of the offense again. Although his numbers aren’t gaudy, Chisholm went into last night’s game at third for the Yankees in games played (100); third in at-bats (353); third in hits (79); and tied for third in homers (16), RBIs (45), and total bases (145).
