The Yankees have been home for weeks, but Sal says that hasn’t stopped them from embarrassing themselves, thanks to Bryce Harper’s continued playoff mastery.
“The Yankees continue to embarrass themselves, even while watching the postseason from home,” Sal said. “It is the biggest reason why the Yankees haven’t been to a World Series from 2009.”
That reason? The fact that the Yankees didn’t make any kind of push for Harper when he was a free agent prior to the 2019 season. The Yanks, with an outfield of Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Aaron Hicks, decided there was no room for Harper, despite his swing seemingly designed for Yankee Stadium.
For Sal, the Yanks of yesteryear would have made it work. Instead, Harper thriving is a symbol of the team’s failures that have stemmed from their change in philosophy.
“The old Yankees, the George [Steinbrenner] Yankees, would have gotten him,” Sal said. “It was the perfect fit. Everybody knew it. The Yankees, the New York Yankees, said they didn’t have room for Bryce Harper.
“It is not just Bryce Harper. It is symbolic of the Yankees failures for years…but that was the first sign that the Yankees are different now. They don’t operate like they used to.”