MIAMI – It has been nearly a decade since Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez last wore pinstripes as teammates, but their words still carry weight in the Yankees’ clubhouse.
Appearing on the FOX pregame show before Saturday night’s Speedway Classic between the Braves and Reds, the retired stars offered pointed criticism of their former club following Saturday’s 2-0 loss to the Marlins at loanDepot park -- including a play in which Jazz Chisholm Jr. was doubled off on a pop-up to second base.
“They make way too many mistakes,” Jeter said. “And you can’t get away with making that number of mistakes against great teams. It just doesn’t happen. They had baserunning mistakes today – you saw [Trent Grisham] getting thrown out at home plate. You can’t continue to do it. You have to clean it up.”
Rodriguez echoed the sentiment, suggesting a lack of “accountability” in the current Yankees culture.
“If any one of us made a mistake, we would be sitting our butt right on the bench,” Rodriguez said. “I see mistake after mistake, and there’s no consequences.”
The comments caught the attention of manager Aaron Boone, who acknowledged that his team must play better.
As recently as late May, the Yankees held a seven-game lead in the American League East. With Saturday’s loss, they slipped into third place at 60-51, behind the Blue Jays (65-47) and Red Sox (61-51).
“Look, we’re the Yankees,” Boone said. “When we lose games, if it’s in and around a mistake, that criticism is fair game. At the end of the day, we have all the pieces to be a really good team. That’s on me and all of us to get the most out of that.”
Boone pushed back on Rodriguez’s suggestion that the team lacks discipline, saying that internal accountability does exist, even if it isn’t always visible to outsiders.
“I would disagree a little bit with the accountability factor, but the reality is, we’re focused every day on being the best we can be,” Boone said. “That’s how we have to do it. But I understand when it doesn’t happen, or we don’t have the record that I think we should have, or certainly people think we should have – that comes with the territory.”
Ultimately, the results on the field are what matter most.
“There are no excuses. You have to play better,” Jeter said. “If you don’t play better, you are not going to go very far.”
Rodriguez also targeted the rotation, saying that even after the Yankees acquired relievers David Bednar, Camilo Doval and Jake Bird at the Trade Deadline, they need more from their starting pitchers.
For example, Friday night’s wild 13-12 loss was set into motion when Carlos Rodón was unable to complete five innings, despite being handed a 6-0 lead. Rodón later called the early exit “unacceptable.”
“I don’t care if you bring back their ’98 bullpen with Mariano [Rivera], Mike Stanton and Jeff Nelson,” Rodriguez said. “If your pitchers are going 3 1/3, 4 1/3, it’s not going to work.”
Boone maintains that the Yankees have enough talent to make a run – but time is running out.
“We have the pieces to be a really good club,” Boone said. “We’ve got to start showing it on a more consistent level.”