The New York Yankees are clearly feeling the heat thanks to the October accomplishments of their biggest rival.
The Boston Red Sox defeated the Yankees in the American League Division Series, then proceeded to steamroll over the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers en route to their fourth World Series title in the past 15 years. In that time, the Yankees have won just once and owner Hal Steinbrenner is not happy.
“[It] certainly pisses me off. I never want a division rival to outdo us,” Steinbrenner told Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
“I have no love for the Red Sox on the field or in the division.”
The Yankees finished second in the AL East, eight games behind the 108-win Red Sox. It resulted in a wild-card berth for New York, which defeated Oakland, but then fell to Boston in four games.
The Bronx Bombers combined to post a .214/.295/.321 slash line in the ALDS, scoring just 14 runs. The Red Sox, meanwhile, hit .279/.358/.429 and produced 27 runs.
The Yankees pitching staff sported a 6.94 ERA compared to the 3.50 Red Sox mark.
“I am frustrated we did not play up to our ability,” Steinbrenner said. “Except for [Masahiro] Tanaka, the starting pitching was not good and the hitting was inconsistent. We are much better than we played in that series.”
New York stayed below the $197-million luxury tax last season. That threshold rises to $206 million in 2019 and the owner said that figure won’t contain the club if he feels the need to spend more this winter.
“There are going to be some changes and additions, there always is,” he said. “We need to win the division. I don’t want to go through another wild-card game.”
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