There’s a sound every pitcher dreads—the crack of the bat, that unmistakable thunder before the storm of a home run.
For the New York Yankees lately, it’s been deafening. And if they don’t find a way to silence it, the road ahead will only get rockier.
Think of it like a leaky faucet in a luxury hotel—annoying at first, but if ignored, it floods the whole floor.
The Yankees’ leaky bullpen hasn’t just trickled a few mistakes; it’s bursting open with costly long balls. And against elite opponents, the floodgates are wide open.
Home run numbers that don’t lie—and can’t be ignored
For the season, the Yankees have allowed 1.05 home runs per nine innings. That ranks them squarely in the middle of the league—15th out of 30 teams.
It’s not a disaster, but it’s also not the profile of a World Series contender. Elite teams typically suppress home run damage, not invite it.
Things look much worse when zooming in on their recent stretch.
Since the beginning of the Dodgers series and through Sunday night’s finale against Boston, the Yankees are dead last in Major League Baseball, surrendering 2.28 home runs per nine innings. That’s a glaring red flag.
In just three series—against the Dodgers, Guardians, and Red Sox—the Yankees have allowed far too many balls to leave the yard.
All three of those teams have postseason ambitions, and all three took advantage of the Yankees’ fatal pitching flaw.
A Sunday slugfest that highlighted the issue
Sunday night’s game against Boston didn’t just expose the problem—it screamed it through a megaphone.
The Yankees gave up five home runs in a single game, and eight total over the three-game series. That’s nearly three a night, an unsustainable rate in any context.
When a team gives up five instant runs, there’s little room for error. The Yankees tried to claw back, but the long ball erased every ounce of momentum.
Jonathan Loaisiga, once a reliable ground-ball machine, coughed up two critical homers at the worst possible moment.
As soon as the Yankees inched closer on the scoreboard, Loaisiga let Boston pull away again.
Then came Brent Headrick. With the game still within reach, he offered up two more souvenirs for Red Sox hitters, slamming the door on any potential comeback.
The Yankees lost not just the game, but a chance to win the series—and that kind of failure stings twice.
The bullpen’s role in this downward spiral
Relievers are supposed to be firemen, putting out flames and locking down late leads. For the Yankees lately, they’ve been arsonists.
The long ball has plagued them during critical innings, particularly against good teams.
It’s one thing for a starter to get tagged early and give the offense a chance to recover. It’s another for relievers to come in and give up runs in bulk, often with the game hanging in the balance.
That’s where New York’s bullpen has hurt them the most—and why the recent trend is so worrying.
Elite bullpens don’t just throw hard. They pitch smart. They limit walks, avoid barrels, and keep the ball on the ground.
Right now, the Yankees’ relief corps is doing the opposite, especially in the most important matchups.
A concerning pattern versus contenders
The recent schedule hasn’t been easy, but it’s not supposed to be. Beating elite competition is how teams separate themselves in October. The Yankees’ recent record against contenders, however, paints a concerning picture.
They lost two of the three series against the Dodgers, Guardians, and Red Sox—and the long ball has been the common denominator.
This isn’t a random blip. It’s a trend. And trends become truths if they’re not addressed.
Pitchers are leaving balls up in the zone. Command is fading late in games. And hitters—especially power-heavy lineups—are pouncing.
The result? Too many jogs around the bases, and not enough celebrations in the Bronx.
The Yankees are still very much in the playoff race, but that doesn’t make them immune to collapse.
If they want to win tight series, shut down elite hitters, and survive October baseball, they need to do one thing above all else: stop giving up so many home runs.
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