When was the last time the Yankees missed the playoffs?
The Yankees weren’t ready to add another playoff miss to their repertoire after tying for the fourth-longest streak in playoff appearances in MLB history.
The New York Yankees’ playoff hopes for this season were dashed in August when they suffered a 7-1 defeat to the Arizona Diamondbacks in a wet and windy game at Yankee Stadium. This marked the first time the Yankees have missed the playoffs since 2016.
Longest playoffs streaks in MLB history:
— MLB Metrics (@MLBMetrics) October 1, 2023
‘91-‘05 Braves - 14
‘95-‘07 Yankees - 13
‘13- ‘23 Dodgers - 11 (active)
‘17-‘23 Astros - 7 (active)
With a record that dropped to 78-77, the Yankees’ remaining contests will see them try to maintain a streak of winning records that has extended for 30 seasons in a row (since 1993). They are currently at risk of finishing with a losing record, which hasn’t happened to the Yankees since 1992.
“We’ve got to hit the ground running, especially when this season ends,” said Aaron Judge. “We’ve got a lot to work on, a lot of things to change, and a lot of stuff going on around here that needs to be fixed.”
New York has seen a total of 37 players on the injured list this season, including Judge, who was sidelined for almost eight weeks due to a right big toe sprain suffered on June 3 at Dodger Stadium. The Yankees posted a record of 19-23 during Judge’s absence and have gone 24-29 since his return.
10/2/1978: On this date in 1978, the #Yankees and #RedSox faced off in a one-game playoff for the AL East title at Fenway Park. Bucky Dent hit a 3-run homer over the Green Monster off Mike Torres in the 7th inning, leading New York to a 5-4 victory. #MLB #OTD #BaseballOTD #RepBX pic.twitter.com/lNJv9TWqm7
— Baseball History On This Date (@Baseball_OTD) October 3, 2023
Prior to this year’s disappointment, the Yankees’ only playoff absences since 1995 occurred in four instances: misses in 2008, 2013, 2014, and 2016, with each of those years seeing them finish 12 games behind the first-place team. While they did make a brief return to the playoffs in 2015, it was a short-lived appearance, lasting only three hours and six minutes, resulting in a quick loss to the Houston Astros in a one-game Wild Card playoff.