The 2009 Yankees, the 2015 Yankees & Losing Streaks

I've already said it more than once this season and I've already said it once during the team's little losing streak and struggles since the July 31st trading deadline, this team is special. I truly believe that. While I admit that being "special" doesn't always win games just like being talented doesn't always win the World Series I also admit that an extended losing streak doesn't make or break a season in most cases, especially since we're not even technically to the middle of August yet. When the Yankees were sporting mustaches and winning seven games in a row or when the team held what looked to be a comfortable 6.5 game lead in the American League East Division everyone was comparing this team to the 2009 Yankees, and I'm still doing that despite their struggles over recent weeks.

Since the July 31st trade deadline the Yankees have had a lot of trouble winning games against the Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers and the Minnesota Twins. The Indians were well under the .500 mark at the beginning of the series while the Rangers were just beginning to have hopes and dreams of being involved in a second Wild Card race. The Blue Jays were the team that added the most at the July 31st trading deadline despite being six games out in the American League East Division race at the time. The Yankees offense went to sleep, the pitching wasn't perfect and the team lost some games while subsequently losing their division cushion as well but should the sky be falling right now in the Bronx? I don't remember the sky ever falling during the 2009 season like it is falling right now.

The 2009 Yankees began the month of June by posting a 9-10 record including loses in five of their last six games before beginning a road series against the Atlanta Braves. New York lost the first game against the Braves before rattling off seven wins in a row and 10 wins in 11 contests saving their season. The 2009 Yankees, a super team if there ever was one, lost a season high five straight games that season and sat as far back in the division as 6.5 games at one point which would normally garner the boo birds to come out in full force. The 2015 Yankees is far from a super team, there aren't any more super teams in Major League Baseball with the new rules and guidelines set up in the latest collective bargaining agreement, and hasn't been farther back than three games at any point this season while never having longer than a six-game losing streak. This isn't the 2009 team by any means but they aren't in the same situation that team was in either, they are right in the thick of things for the division right now.

My point is this, the super team and the juggernaut that the 2009 Yankees were didn't always start out that way, they built that through chemistry, clutch hitting and team unity. This 2015 version has all those things as well on a much smaller scale, albeit with much better pitching, and can gather the same result as the 2009 team did. They just need to get out of their own heads and they need the fans support, not their criticisms and boo's. Do your part and they will do theirs.