Yankees lose nine straight games for first time since 1982

The New York Yankees entered the 2023 Major League Baseball season with the World Series on their minds. 

With the end of August just around the corner, the Yankees are 60-65, sitting 17 games back in the American League East and 10.5 games back of the final AL wild-card spot. 

The Yankees’ Aaron Judge reacts after flying out against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York lost its ninth straight game Tuesday night against the Washington Nationals, the Yankees’ first nine-game losing streak since the 1982 season. 

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“Pretty down but we’ve got to fight through it,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “I think we’re doing and saying the right things but we’re in it to win it. At the end of the day you work hard to put yourself in a position to shake hands at the end of the day. When you get beat over and over again and you’re in the middle of a tough season, it makes it hard.”

New York is now one loss away from the organization’s first 10-game losing streak since 1913, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. 

The Yankees managed one run against the Nationals on Tuesday and have scored just 12 runs combined in the last seven games. 

Washington Nationals’ Josiah Gray pitches to Yankees’ DJ LeMahieu, Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

“That was a good win here in Yankee Stadium,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. “You don’t often see a 2-1 victory here but the boys played well.”

It’s been a wildly disappointing season for New York as they have dealt with multiple injuries, including to reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge. 

Judge was sidelined in early June after suffering a toe injury in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers and did not return until July 28. 

Manager Aaron Boone of the New York Yankees makes a pitching change during the Braves game at Truist Park on Aug. 16, 2023, in Atlanta. (Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

“When you get beat over and over again and you’re in the middle of a tough season, it makes it hard,” Boone said, according to the New York Post. “But you got to fight that feeling and get your a– back here tomorrow ready to compete.”

The Yankees and Nationals will play the second game of a three-game series Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report