The New York Yankees are one of the most successful franchises in the four major North American sports leagues. With 27 World Series championships and 40 American League Pennants, their history is filled with legends like Yogi Berra, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, Mariano Rivera, and Derek Jeter.
Wearing the Yankees’ pinstripes brings prestige but also high expectations. Their success has fostered both admiration and jealousy, and any sign of weakness quickly attracts criticism. The Yankees stumbled into the 2024 MLB All-Star break after a poor performance over the past month, uniting their American League East rivals against them.
Baltimore Orioles All-Star Gunnar Henderson and Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz discussed the first half of the season before the All-Star Game at Globe Life Field in Arlington. During the interview, Ortiz took playful jabs at the Yankees, expressing his delight in their losses and his happiness over the Orioles’ dramatic 6-5 comeback victory in their last game before the break, which kept the Orioles narrowly leading the division.
Nestor Cortes lashes out at critics after David Ortiz laughs at Yankees
Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes didn’t appreciate the jokes and expressed his feelings in a social media post on Tuesday.
In 2023, Forbes ranked the Yankees as the world’s second-most valuable franchise, worth $7.1 billion. However, these numbers are based on their historical success, as Cortes’ recent teams haven’t achieved much to demand respect yet.
Big Papi loves to watch the Yankees lose 😂 pic.twitter.com/2BYWjZJVbl
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 15, 2024
The Yankees hit the All-Star break with a 58-40 record, just one game behind the Orioles in the AL East. Despite this, their recent struggles are worrisome. This season seems poised to be the third consecutive year New York starts strong only to falter by the end. In 2022, they began with a 61-23 record but finished 38-40. In 2023, they started 36-25 but ended 46-55.
It seems inevitable this year too. After a 50-22 start, they’ve gone 8-18. It’s become predictable — a hot start thrusts the Yankees into the spotlight, then a cold finish knocks them out.
Papi: Can you do me a favor? Can you take it easy on my Red Sox?
Gunnar Henderson: I don't know if I can do that Big Papi.
Papi: Beat the Yankees while you're at it.
😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/pV1fZPHkDm
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 17, 2024
Cortes has struggled during the team’s tough stretch, but he’s made the playoffs in three of his four seasons with the team. The Yankees reached the American League Championship Series in 2019 and 2022 but lost in a wild card game against the Red Sox in 2021.
This season, Cortes has a 4-8 record with a 3.67 ERA, a 1.12 WHIP, and 110 strikeouts in 115 ⅓ innings.
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