It wasn’t just the fact that the Yankees lost No. 7 in a row on Friday night to the Mets, a 10-3 final that served as the team’s largest margin of defeat vs. their crosstown rival in 13 years.
It’s how it happened.
Missed tags, wide throws to home, high throws to first, four walks by Yankee pitching (including three in one inning) -- it was a comedy of miscues.
But there was no laughing from Aaron Boone after the game.
“It’s just a poor performance. Period,” he said. “Frustrating, awful start to the series.”
Did he find his team unprepared for Friday’s game?
“No, I did not. No,” Boone continued. “No. I think these guys are desperately trying to turn this around. I think they are committed to their process. We’re not getting results right now. We’re all pissed off about that.
“But as far as the intent, focus -- it’s there.”
Focused or not, there were some ugly plays for the Yankees on Friday, none worse than Gary Sanchez’s tardy tag on Jonathan Villar in the first inning.
Joey Gallo’s throw following a base hit had Villar nailed by 20 feet. Sanchez, waiting, bailed from the plate and tagged Villar’s head after he touched home.
Initially called out, the Mets challenged and the play was overturned, tying the game at one.
Gary Sanchez misses the tag on Jonathan Villar and the Mets tie this game at 1-1 pic.twitter.com/YSDPyIaW8K
— SNY (@SNYtv) September 10, 2021
The ripple effect was more pitches for Yankees starter Jordan Montgomery, and perhaps something less tangible.
“Did it factor (into the rest of the night)? Possibly. But you gotta be able to deal with it,” Boone said.
“It’s a big play, an important play, but you gotta deal with that. … Things aren’t always gonna go your way. We’re up a run. You gotta move on. You gotta deal with it. You can’t let it be a factor.”
Factor or not, it led to a 27-pitch first inning for Montgomery, which certainly didn’t help prevent the nightmare third inning for the Yankees, which led to 33 more pitches for Montgomery, three walks, three hits and five runs for the Mets.
From there, it was 6-2 deficit, and the Yankees were well on their way to a seventh loss in a row.
“We’re playing for a lot,” Boone said. “When you pour your heart and soul into something and you know you're not playing to your capabilities, that’s incredibly frustrating and tough.”
