The image that all Yankees fans likely had in their mind in the aftermath of another postseason exit, another trip to the tournament ending without rings and the ultimate champagne toast, unfolded at the top step of the dugout.
There was George Lombard Jr., the rookie and shortstop of the future, watching the Rays celebrate on the field. There was Aaron Judge, the injured superstar of the present, taking in the scene, too. Their faces, absent of any emotion, captured the discontent of the fanbase both at the ballpark and tuning in from home.
Another one — this one the verbal equivalent — occurred during press conferences, when Ben Rice called this Yankees season a failure and Judge upped the pressure on the front office to keep going all-in and Anthony Volpe said he’s “pissed off” with “too many chips added to your shoulder.”
Their fans, waiting for a first World Series title since 2009 and watching as the Yankees have fallen just short through each of Aaron Boone’s nine seasons, were almost certainly uttering some version of those lines. Even Alex Rodriguez, on the Fox studio show, said something had to change.
