The New York Yankees are reeling — and Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium may have marked a turning point, not just in the standings, but in the mindset of a team in freefall. With a 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels, the Yankees dropped their sixth straight game, their longest losing skid of the 2025 season. And this one hurt more than most.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, with the game tied and the Yankees desperate to avoid another collapse, shortstop Anthony Volpe committed a throwing error that handed the Angels the go-ahead run. That miscue ultimately sealed New York’s fate.
But after the game, Volpe didn’t dodge the moment. He faced it head-on.
“I have a plan,” the 23-year-old said in the clubhouse. “I know I can be better. And I will be. I need to be more aggressive, go get the ball, and make the play. That’s on me — and I take full responsibility.”
Volpe’s throwing error — his ninth of the season, the most among all American League shortstops — has become a symbol of a broader problem. The Yankees, once comfortably atop the AL East, are now clinging to a 1.5-game lead over the surging Tampa Bay Rays. What was once a dominant early-season run has suddenly unraveled, exposing cracks in both the offense and defense.
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Still, Volpe showed maturity beyond his years, not just in owning the moment, but in the calm conviction he carried after the loss.
“Baseball’s a mental game,” he added. “You can’t let a mistake define you — you learn from it, take what you can, and then tomorrow’s a new day. That’s the best part about this game.”
While Volpe’s error will dominate the headlines, the Yankees’ problems run deeper. Entering Wednesday’s matchup, they hadn’t scored a single run in 30 consecutive innings. The drought finally ended in the second inning when Ben Rice crossed the plate, but the bats quickly went cold again.
New York had chances late in the game — stranding runners in the seventh and eighth — but once again failed to deliver in high-leverage moments. That lack of timely hitting has haunted them throughout this brutal six-game stretch, which includes a sweep by the rival Red Sox and now three straight losses to an Angels team that came into the Bronx under .500.
Manager Aaron Boone acknowledged the urgency. “It’s a tough patch. We’ve got to be sharper in all phases. But the group believes in each other, and that matters.”
Volpe echoed that sentiment, pointing to the resilience within the locker room.
“We play like it’s Opening Day, every day,” he said. “We’ve got each other’s backs. I messed up, and Timmy [Hill] picked me up and got out of it. We had chances to win this game. The energy’s still there. But we have to execute.”
Volpe’s offensive production has also cooled in recent weeks. After a hot start to the season that had fans buzzing about his breakout potential, he’s batting just .238 in June with a noticeable dip in hard contact. The Yankees are banking on him finding that spark again — and soon.
With the Rays gaining ground and a tough stretch of games looming, the Yankees are running out of time to steady the ship. Thursday’s series finale against the Angels (1:05 PM ET at Yankee Stadium) is no longer just about salvaging a win — it’s about sending a message that this team hasn’t lost its edge.
And for Anthony Volpe, it’s about proving that one costly error doesn’t define a player — but how he responds to it might.
