Subscribe
Follow Us
When New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone walked into the home team clubhouse after the Los Angeles Dodgers clinched the 2024 World Series at Yankee Stadium, his message was blunt.
He told his team that their five-game loss in the Fall Classic was going to sting — and it was going to sting forever.
Boone, who is entering his eighth season as Yankees skipper, reflected on the loss in an interview with the new radio voice of the Yankees, Dave Sims, on his Hey Now podcast.
“We’ve had some really tough endings here since I’ve been here. The [2019] ALCS, [Jose] Altuve homered, you never get over that,” he said. “I’ve been in this game my entire life, you also keep moving. That’s the grind of this game. That’s gonna stick with you forever, it’s gonna be painful forever, but you also gotta get through it, move past it, and it’s onto the next.”
Though the wounds are still fresh from a series in which the Dodgers thoroughly outplayed the Yankees and staged a memorable comeback in the clinching game, Spring Training is here and Boone's focus is now on the 2025 team.
“We’re trying to win a world championship and we’re trying to get ready to do that here in 2025, so you have to move on,” he said. “But the losses definitely stick with you a little bit more.”
The Yankees look to return to the World Series with retooled roster
The Yankees' first, second and third priorities going into the offseason were to re-sign Juan Soto. They were unsuccessful, and the outfield slugger is preparing to suit up across town for the Mets.
That doesn't mean the Yankees didn't address some major concerns from their 2024 roster. They fortified their bullpen by trading for Devin Williams. They also gave their starting rotation a reliable No. 2 pitcher behind Gerrit Cole, signing Max Fried to an eight-year deal.
To replace Soto, the Yankees are hoping Cody Bellinger, whom they acquired via trade, can inch back closer to his 2023 form after taking a step back last year. He will join an outfield that should also include rookie Jasson Dominguez, who enters the season with sky-high expectations.
At first base, a clear area of weakness for the Yankees last year, they will hope that 37-year-old Paul Goldschmidt has enough left in the tank to power through one more year. Despite his advanced age, he's just three years removed from winning National League MVP and hit 22 home runs in 2024.