The New York Yankees had another rocky baseball season in 2020 due to several reasons, not the least of which is being plagued with injuries at key times during the season. Injuries during the season, of course, we’re not limited to the Yankees, but the Yankees sure did have many of them that affected the team’s play.
The season for most fans was painful; even at one point, it looked as if the Yankees wouldn’t even reach the postseason at all. But the fact of the matter was that the Yankees as a whole didn’t play poorly, and they did make the postseason, although they exited too early. If you remember, the team seemed as though it would never lose when they started the season 8-1. But that soon changed. As the season started, it looked as if Aaron Judge was headed for the MVP of the league as he hit 9 homers in just 14 games. Also, for the Yankees, Giancarlo Stanton was the Yankee’s best hitter.
But then the New York Yankees bogeyman showed up. From August 8th to August 15th, the Yankees saw LeMahieu, Judge, and Stanton all land on the Injured List. The Yankees record went from good to bad quickly. The lineup changed dramatically with Thairo Estrada, Tyler Wade, and Mike Ford filling in for the missing trio. It also was happening at the same time that the Yankees were facing the Tampa Bay Rays. After previously losing games to the Rays, this time missing the trio, they swept the Yankees.
The following that, the Yankees had another stop and start, after having a broken up spring training. The Yankees sat on their hands for six days when Mets players tested positive for the coronavirus. When they came back from the layover, they didn’t play much better. In fact, they lost seven games in a row and found themselves at 16-13. The Yankees bounced back, winning their next 3 games, but then they faced the Tampa team again. This was the series when Aroldis Chapman pitched at Brosseau’s head. The Yankees lost 6 of 8 games. Again during this period, the Yankees injury bug hit. Gio Urshela, Gleyber Torres, and Aaron Hicks all found themselves on the injury list.
Injuries are not the only reason the Yankees didn’t have the season that they wanted to have. The coronavirus itself had an effect on the season, causing stress that players reacted to differently. Many players rely on the video room to check what they have done or make adjustments. Due to health protocols, the video room was closed throughout the season. There are several reasons the Yankees had a less than expected season. The Yankees pitching was off all season and led to their demise in the postseason.
The New York Yankees have to find a way to keep players on the field. The Yankees have one of the most talented lineups in baseball. But that talent doesn’t help if key players are out of the lineup for prolonged periods. Hopefully, now that the new strength and conditioning staff has been in place for a full season, they will work with players differently to prevent preventable injuries.