While it may not be a modern measure, Aaron Boone believes the New York Yankees have their strongest sense of togetherness in years.
“The closeness that these guys have with one another and that cliché ‘playing for one another’ is clear with this group. It has been all year, since day one,” the manager said Monday, just four days before the World Series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“These guys love each other and they enjoy doing it for one another.” Aiming for their 28th title, the Yankees are in the World Series for the first time since winning the championship in 2009.
Boone took over for Joe Girardi before the 2018 season, and his teams were eliminated in the AL Championship Series in 2019 and 2022, as well as in the Division Series in 2018 and 2020, and the wild-card game in 2021.
Last year, New York finished with a record of 82-80 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016. This disappointment pushed many players, including captain Aaron Judge, to report to the team’s minor league complex in Tampa, Florida, weeks before spring training officially began.
“The guys that have been here, the leaders, took all that very personally and knew we had to have a great season this year. Maybe just a tighter focus, even in the winter,” Boone said. “Not only working out and getting ready for spring training, but also building those relationships.”
New additions for 2024 bonded well with the veterans. “It’s just a brotherhood,” pitcher Clarke Schmidt said. “We love each other. We’ve got each other’s backs.”
Boone spoke in the Yankee Stadium news conference room, wearing a new World Series sweatshirt with a World Series logo backdrop. The team had an optional workout as they began to shift their focus from Saturday’s AL pennant-winning game against Cleveland to the NL champion Dodgers.
While going through the postseason, Boone mentioned that he has been texting with Joe Torre, who managed the Yankees to championships in 1996 and from 1998 to 2000.
New York and Los Angeles will play in only the fifth World Series between teams with the best records in their leagues since wild cards were introduced. The previous matchups were between Cleveland and Atlanta (the first wild-card season in 1995), the Yankees and Braves (1999), Boston and St. Louis (2013), and the Dodgers and Tampa Bay (2020).
This series features Judge and Shohei Ohtani, who are likely to be the league MVPs. They will join a select group of six pairs of league home run leaders to meet in the Series, following Babe Ruth and George Kelly (1921), Ruth and Jim Bottomley (1928), Lou Gehrig and Mel Ott (1936), Joe DiMaggio and Ott (1937), and Mickey Mantle and Duke Snider (1956).
Since 1980, the only times MVPs faced each other in the Series were Kirk Gibson and Jose Canseco in 1988, and Buster Posey and Miguel Cabrera in 2012.
“The stars will be out. The eyeballs will be watching, and hopefully, we can deliver on a great Series,” Boone said.
After several seasons with many injuries, New York has been fairly healthy this year: Anthony Volpe played in 160 games, Judge in 158, Juan Soto in 157, Gleyber Torres in 154, and Alex Verdugo in 149. Carlos Rodón made 32 starts, Nestor Cortes made 30, and Luis Gil and Marcus Stroman each made 29.
Ace Gerrit Cole didn’t start his season until June 19 due to right elbow inflammation but has only missed one rotation turn since his return. Schmidt came back in September from a lat strain, Gil from a back strain, and Jon Berti from a calf strain.
Cortes is likely to be added to the World Series roster after recovering from a flexor strain in his left elbow that has kept him out since September 18. First baseman Anthony Rizzo returned from two fractured fingers to hit .429 in the LCS (6 for 14).
“We are as complete as we’ve been in several years,” Boone said in mid-September. “There have been many years where we’ve had good seasons and made it to the postseason, but we’ve faced some injuries.”
Cole will start the opener, and while Boone didn’t confirm the rotation after that, it is likely to be Rodón, Schmidt, and Gil. “I believe we’re here because this is our best team,” Boone said, “at least at this time of year.”
