Big Headlines Amid Yankees Sweep of Mariners

In the midst of a spectacular sweep of the Mariners, which was capped by a stunning and thrilling comeback victory Thursday, the Yankees finally made a decision that was obviously difficult but also long overdue by sending aging DJ LeMahieu out of the Bronx. Lets get to it. 

Almost always, this is how it ends for once-great athletes because father time is forever undefeated.

DJ LeMahieu turns 37 years old Sunday. That means he is still a young man with a long life in front of him, a life of privilege thanks to the $130 million he will have banked during his 13-year MLB career, but in an athlete years, LeMahieu is essentially a fossil and the Yankees finally came to that difficult conclusion Wednesday.

Some athletes across various sports can still thrive at 37 and even beyond, but it is rare and LeMahieu is not one of them. He is no longer The Machine, the player who came to New York after seven years in Colorado where he won an NL batting title, three Gold Gloves at second base and earned two All-Star berths, then donned the pinstripes and tacked on an AL batting title, an All-Star berth, a Gold Glove, two Silver Slugger awards (best hitter at his position) and twice finished in the top four in MVP balloting.

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Now he is a shell of that player and he has been for the better part of three years as injuries and age eroded his skills, first as a hitter and now as a no-range fielder and thus, the Yankees designated him for assignment and then outright released him Thursday so he is free to sign with any team might want him.

“It’s been a tough couple days, some hard conversations,” Aaron Boone said. “And then ultimately coming to this decision, conclusion, obviously not easy for what’s been a great player. He has done a lot of great things for this organization. It’s difficult, but at the end we feel this is the right thing to do at this time. We wish all the best for what’s been a great player.”

In LeMahieu’s first four years as a Yankee (2019-22), he hit .296 with an .806 OPS in 470 games. Over his past three, as he aged and was felled by numerous injuries, he hit .237 with a .665 OPS in 248 games. That decline had become a drag on the lineup, so even though they still owe him around $22 million for this year and next, the move had to be made.

It’s a sunk cost, but in the world of baseball’s guaranteed contracts, teams inevitably eat the equivalent of a small country’s GDP at the end of so many of these deals. In the last few years the Yankees have paid dearly to get rid of Aaron Hicks, Josh Donaldson and now LeMahieu, and they’ll do the same with Giancarlo Stanton’s much, much bigger contract before it mercifully ends in 2028.

“Obviously the last few years have been not what he or we had hoped for, but that’s also part of the game,” Brian Cashman said of LeMahieu who, quite naturally, was not happy with the decision. “Injuries can change the dynamic and the equation altogether. There’s no right time to do any moves. But just felt like this probably isn’t going to be the best circumstance moving forward. He fought every step of the way to put himself in a position to reclaim where he was and being an everyday player. Obviously we were hopeful. … It’s kind of waiting to see what we were going to see, because it’s been the last few years of injuries, not sure where that was going to leave us.”

Where it leaves the Yankees is they have moved Jazz Chisholm back to where he belongs at second base, and they need to find a legitimate third baseman at the trade deadline because riding with slick-fielding, zero-hitting Oswald Peraza and minor league Jorbit Vivas are not viable options.

As for LeMahieu, it was definitely fun while it lasted because those early Yankee years were really good. There was a time when there was no one else you wanted at the plate in a big situation than LeMahieu because he was such a good hitter who could get the ball in play.

As a journalist, I never appreciated that LeMahieu was an absolute dud as an interview and I always wished he’d been a little more of a voice in the clubhouse, but I guess that’s just not his personality. I’m sure he was a nice guy, but as a big-time veteran, it would have been nice to here more than just mumbling when the reporters spoke to him.

July 8: Yankees 10, Mariners 3

➤ This was certainly a much-needed night and one that set the tone for what was to happen the rest of the series as the Yankees exploded in the late innings and were able to coast to victory, something they haven’t done for quite a while. I will say, though, that they sort of caught a break with the fifth-inning rain delay. Mariners starter Logan Gilbert was dominating through four scoreless, one-hit innings, but he was not the same when the game resumed after he sat for about 45 minutes.

➤ In the fifth, the Yankees scored their run when Paul Goldschmidt singled and eventually scored on a weak chopper by Peraza to second that was mishandled. It was ruled a hit but it was an error in my eyes. But while that run might have been cheap, the next three weren’t because Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger singled and Stanton finally did something useful by hitting a three-run homer. Gilbert then gave up a double to Goldschmidt which ended his night, and Austin Wells hit Casey Legumina’s first pitch for a two-run homer, his third straight game with a home run.

➤ Four more runs came in the seventh when Judge homered, Chisholm had an RBI double and Goldschmidt closed a big night for him with a two-run single.

➤ Unfortunately, mop-up man Geoff Hartlieb did a terrible job mopping up and gave up three runs in the eighth, so the Yankees had to use Ian Hamilton to get out of the eighth and Scott Effross pitched the ninth.

➤ Will Warren bounced back from his terrible start against the Blue Jays and went 5.2 scoreless innings which was huge. And when he got into trouble in the sixth, Tim Hill came in to put out the fire and keep the score at 1-0. That was a big moment and it seemed to fuel the Yankees rally that began soon thereafter.

➤ More bad pitching news as Mark Leiter went on the IL with a leg injury, further depleting an already gassed and struggling bullpen. They called up Clayton Beeter to take his spot.

What they said in Tuesday’s clubhouse

• Boone on Stanton: “There’s no place that can hold Big G. We need him to be that presence that he is in the middle.”

• Stanton: “I think it’s some good steps. Just staying inside the ball, getting some lift to it. I feel like I’ve been having one or two good at-bats a game, where I need to make that four or five to get some good results.”

• Warren: “I think you can take every outing and learn from it, good or bad. Obviously, the bad ones hurt a little more. You can take a little more from those. Just attacking the zone. Attacking the zone early, executing pitches and good things happen.”

July 9: Yankees 9, Mariners 6

➤ Holy Schlitt indeed! Hard-throwing Cam Schlittler, who was in Double-A less than a month ago, made a solid MLB debut even though moronic Boone cut it short at 75 pitches with one out in the sixth inning. The 24-year-old righty gave up two solo homers to JP Crawford and Jorge Polanco but allowed only two other hits and two walks. The third run charged to him came after Boone yanked him for Jonathan Loaisiga with one out and a man on second in the sixth and on Mr. Meatball’s first pitch, Randy Arozarena - another infamous Yankee killer from his days with the Rays - crushed a two-run homer.

➤ Among Schlittler’s 75 pitches were 52 strikes, and he now owns the fastest seven pitches thrown this season by a Yankee including one fastball that touched 100 mph. This is exactly the kind of flamethrower the Yankees have needed in their rotation, and let’s hope the kid is the real deal because if so, he’s the replacement for Clarke Schmidt. His next start will be very important because his adrenaline might not be the same the next time out and we’ll see how that affects him.

➤ He walked the first man he faced, Crawford, but then showed no signs of panic and mowed through the meat of the Mariners order - Julio Rodriguez, Cal Raleigh and Arozarena, striking out the last two. He walked Polanco to start the second and then retired three straight; after Crawford’s homer in the third he got Rodriguez and Raleigh; and after Polanco’s homer in the fourth he retired Luke Raley and Dominic Canzone. No doubt, the kid showed poise and moxie.

➤ Loaisiga continues to be a bullpen arsonist. Between 2022 and 2024 he faced 292 batters and allowed just five home runs. This year, he has faced 97 batters and has allowed six homers and has become yet another major problem for the depleted reliever corps. Thankfully, after Loaisiga yielded his second homer of the night, this one to the No. 9 hitter Cole Young which cut the Yankees lead to 9-6 in the seventh, the back end of the bullpen was great. Luke Weaver and Devin Williams combined to throw 2.2 nearly perfect innings, the only blemish when Weaver hit a batter.

➤ In winning their third straight for the first time since mid-June, the Yankees’ offense had a big night. Chisholm had an RBI grounder to cap a three-run first inning that also included RBI singles by Bellinger and Stanton. Jazz also hit a solo homer in the third and a two-run shot in the fifth as his hot streak since he returned from his injury continues. Then in the sixth, after Seattle had pulled within 6-4, the Yankees responded with three runs as Dominguez had an RBI single and Judge a two-run double, Dominguez busting his ass from first to score.

➤ Dominguez batted leadoff for the second night in a row and fifth time this season. He had three hits and is now 8-for-20 with a double, two homers, four RBI and two stolen bases in the leadoff spot. I know Trent Grisham is having a nice season, but it just seems to me that the best idea would be to play Bellinger in center and Dominguez every day in left and bat him leadoff, then use Grisham as a late-game defensive replacement.

➤ Going the other way is Volpe who continues to dig himself further into the abyss. He finally hit a ball hard and it went off the wall in right, but he screwed up. He thought it was gone so he slowed down near first, then realized it went off the wall and stupidly sped up trying to get a double and he was thrown out by a mile. Otherwise he had three useless at bats so since June 15, covering 23 games, he’s batting .122. Among 219 players with at least 60 plate appearances in that stretch, Volpe’s average ranks 217th.

What they said in Wednesday’s clubhouse

• Schlittler: “Obviously it’s been my goal my whole life. So it’s really good to go out there and put the team in a position to win and live out that dream. … I don’t think I’ve really processed it yet, but coming out and everyone standing up was definitely a great feeling.”

• Boone on Schlittler: “I know this kid is not only next up - we’ve had some attrition, he got an opportunity - but I know the upside that exists with him. I see a lot of potential. You see the live fastball, you see his stuff really plays I thought his ... calm and his poise and focus was excellent. The guy I was around in spring training a little bit was a very competitive, focused person. He went out and did that tonight.”

• Cashman on the continuing struggles of Volpe: “He’s our shortstop. I don’t forget where he was and what he was doing on the biggest stage of the game last October. Despite the twists and turns of how his season is currently playing out, there’s a lot of season left to be played. I’m not counting him out. I know he’s going to be part of the solution rather than the problem.”

July 10: Yankees 6, Mariners 5 (10)

➤ I exhaust a lot of words in this newsletter bitching about the Yankees, and when I do it’s because they deserve it, but I’ll stand up and give them full props and a standing ovation for this remarkable victory, one they had no business getting.

➤ They were no-hit through seven innings by Bryan Woo who made them look feeble and were down 5-0 going into the bottom of the eighth, but to their credit they stuck with it and put together a series of outstanding at bats and rallied for their most improbable win of the year.

➤ Woo walked the first two men in the first inning, then mowed down 21 straight until the red-hot Chisholm broke up the no-hitter leading off the eighth. Woo stayed in and Ben Rice singled, then Wells broke the shutout with a sacrifice fly which ended Woo’s night, and I’m certain that he walked off the mound thinking he still had his ninth win in the bag.

➤ Instead, Stanton crushed a two-run pinch hit homer, the first of his career, to get the Yankees within 5-3 and give them some hope, even though they had to face All-Star closer Andres Munoz and his 1.06 ERA in the ninth. No problem, as it turned out.

➤ Grisham and Bellinger singled, but Judge and Chisholm flied out so it still wasn’t looking great. But down to their last strike, Rice battled back from an 0-2 count to draw a walk and then Wells ripped a 3-2 pitch for a two-run single to tie the game. Of course, Volpe killed the rally with a flyout, but the good news is that he was the free runner to start the 10th and his speed proved critical. Walks to Goldschmidt and Grisham loaded the bases and Judge followed with a short fly ball to center. There are only a few Yankees who would have been given the green light to tag on that, and Volpe is one of them. However, it was a big risk because it was shallow and Rodriguez has a great arm. Sure enough, he delivered a strike to the plate but Volpe pulled off an amazing head first slide to avoid the tag and win the game. Man, that was something.

➤ Not to be forgotten was the Yankees pitching. Marcus Stroman put forth his third straight decent five-inning start allowing just two runs and keeping the Yankees in the game. And after Beeter shit the bed by giving up a three-run homer in the seventh to Polanco that seemingly put the game out of reach, JT Brubaker, Hamilton and Williams each put up a scoreless inning. In the 10th, dealing with the free runner, Williams was once again great as he mowed down three men on just seven pitches.

➤ This comeback was one for the books. The Yankees became the first team to win a game after entering the eighth inning with no hits and trailing by at least five runs since June 24, 1977 when the Pirates defeated the Expos. For the Yankees, it was their first win when trailing by at least five runs runs through seven innings since May 1, 2009 vs. the Angels. And it was the second time this year the Yankees have won a game after they’d been no-hit for at least six innings.

What they said in Thursday’s clubhouse

• Judge: “Happy to definitely steal a win there, especially after the great start (Woo) had. I knew (Volpe) was at third, so the whole thought going into it was get the ball somewhere in the air and let ‘11’ take care of the rest.”

• Wells on Volpe’s slide: “He totally went around him; got his hand in there. That was a great slide. I need to watch it, but that was sick.”

• Boone: “It felt like we were getting dominated tonight, frankly. Even 2-0 down, it felt like a little bit more than that. It just had that feel to it tonight. But baseball’s funny like that. The guys didn’t give up, no quit, just keep grinding at-bats.”

The Yankees are now 52-41 and trail the Blue Jays by two games as we head into the final weekend before the All-Star break, and Friday they bring a four-game winning streak into a very tough series against the NL Central-leading Cubs (55-38) who have been one of the best teams in MLB all season. The Cubs’ offense has been raking and their 503 runs trail only the Dodgers (504), and they rank third with 139 homers, third in OPS (.774) and third in stolen bases (106).

They salvaged the finale of a three-game set against the Twins Thursday with an 8-1 win which bumped their run differential for the season to an MLB-best plus-124, so one would expect the Yankees are going to need to keep their recent hitting surge going if they hope to win this series.

Here are some of the Cubs top players to watch:

➤ CF Pete Crow-Armstrong: He is having an incredible breakout season with 25 homers, 70 RBI, an .869 OPS and 27 stolen bases while playing the best center field defense in MLB.

➤ DH Seiya Suzuki: He has 25 homers with an OPS of .874 and he leads the NL with 77 RBI which is just one behind MLB leader Judge.

➤ 1B Michael Busch: He has been on a tear lately and now leads the team with a .934 OPS and .381 on-base along with 18 homers, 58 RBI.

➤ RF Kyle Tucker: He’s simply one of the best all-around players in MLB, an elite defender with 19 doubles, 17 homers, 55 RBI, a .387 on-base and .897 OPS.

➤ RP Daniel Palencia: He has emerged as the Cubs’ closer with 10 saves in 11 chances and a 1.65 ERA and 0.920 WHIP.

The pitching matchups are scheduled to be:

• Friday, 7:05, YES: Carlos Rodon (3.30) vs. Chris Flexen (0.83) who will make his first start of the season as the Cubs fill in for the injured ex-Yankee, Jameson Taillon.

• Saturday, 1:05, YES: Max Fried (2.27) vs. Matthew Boyd (2.52), a tough lefty who signed as a free agent and has a 1.071 WHIP and 4.17 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

• Sunday, 1:35, YES: Will Warren (4.70) vs. Shota Imanaga (2.80) who since missing six weeks has made three starts during which he has a 2.76 ERA and has allowed just 10 hits in 16.1 innings.