Getting swept at home had the Yankees devastated in the clubhouse.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone described a dejected group Wednesday night after losing 4-3 in Game 3 of the ALDS at Yankee Stadium to complete a sweep at the hands of the Rays.
“The ending is terrible,” a solemn Boone said after the game. “There’s no easy way. It’s a broken clubhouse. What you go through as a team, as a family over the last eight, nine months getting ready for this. It’s just the worst.”
Boone shook up the Game 3 lineup, choosing to sit Jazz Chisholm Jr. in favor of Anthony Volpe, who played well, including hitting what appeared to be a game-tying home run that was called back for fan interference.
The manager also put Trent Grisham in the leadoff spot despite being ice-cold with the bat over the last month.
Grisham went 0-for-5 in the decisive Game 3, and 0-for-11 in the ALDS, and was nursing an injury for much of September.
The final out of the game wound up being a Grisham strikeout with Jazz Chisholm Jr. stranded on second base representing the tying run.
They enter the offseason with loads of decisions to make, including Chisholm Jr., who is due to be a free agent this offseason.
The Bronx Bombers will need to replace his production as his season ended uncomfortably, with him being benched to start Game 3 before he took over for Jose Caballero.
“No comment. Next.” Chisholm Jr. said when asked how it felt to be benched.
The Rays move on to the ALCS to face the White Sox and Guardians for the right to face the winner of Dodgers vs. Brewers/Padres in the World Series.
Meanwhile, general manager Brian Cashman has a lot of work to do, though baseball also has its own problems as the sport deals with a potential lockout.
