The New York Yankees Just Won Their 12th Straight, and the News Gets Even Better for Them

Two months ago, the New York Yankees were left for dead. Manager Aaron Boone was on the hottest seat in Major League Baseball. New York sat 10.5 games out of first place and looked up at three other teams in the American League East on July 5. Thursday night, the Yankees notched their 12th straight victory and the news only got better for the team.

The New York Yankees have made a drastic turnaround

The Yankees knocked off the Oakland Athletics on Thursday, claiming their 12th straight victory. The win streak is their longest since 1961. A win over the Athletics on Friday would tie the A’s for the longest winning streak this season. Oakland won 13 straight games from April 9-24.

Things certainly weren’t this rosy in New York this season as frustration built for the better part of the season. Boone was under fire and he certainly felt the heat in mid-June when things were heading in the wrong direction.

“I’m certainly feeling the pressure,” Boone said, according to NJ.com on June 15. “It’s been a hard year. We obviously got off to a very difficult start the first couple weeks of the season and then kind of righted the ship for a week, but obviously these last couple of weeks have been tough and I wear that.

I feel that. You’re invested in this job. You care about what’s going on and how your team performs and you care about the guys in that room and your staff. I think you’re not human if you don’t feel that. You try to have a big-picture view from a life standpoint, but this is my livelihood and this is our livelihood.”

Since July 5, the Yankees have gone 33-11 and have passed the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox in the standings. They sit four games behind the Tampa Bay Rays. 

The New York Yankees are rolling and also received some positive news

The Yankees were kicked when they were down. Injuries took over while they had their struggles on the field. While many fans were writing them off, the players believed in themselves.

“All the way back in April, we expected to win (every game), but things weren’t rolling our way, things weren’t clicking for us,’’ star outfielder Aaron Judge said, according to the New York Post after Thursday’s win. “Now that all guys are locked in on the same page, magic happens.”

The Yankees were reeling, they are now healing. The team welcomed some great news regarding some of their injured pitchers. Corey Kluber, who has been out since May with a shoulder injury, will return to the starting rotation Monday when the team plays at the Los Angeles Angels.

He feels really good,” Boone said of Kluber via the New York Post. “I think he’s ready to take on major-league competition and go to that next level. … He’s not all the way built up, but we feel like he’s built up to go out and give us a few really strong innings.”

Pitcher Luis Severino, thought to be finished for the season, may have some life left. Severino hasn’t pitched since 2019. He was cleared to begin a throwing program after experiencing tightness in his shoulder earlier this month.

The Yanks are cruising with some new faces

The Yankees had a facelift at the All-Star break, adding a couple of new faces who contributed to their 12th straight win Thursday. At the trade deadline, the team had the second-lowest total of runs scored in the American League and needed an offensive boost. GM Brian Cashman went to work, bringing in Joey Gallo and Anthony Rizzo.

Gallo and Rizzo contributed to the 7-6 win over the Athletics as Gallo smacked a long three-run homer, while Rizzo added a run-scoring double in a big third inning. The Yankees blew a big lead but rallied for the one-run victory. Things like that happen when you’re clicking.

“We go out there and expect to win every game,’’ Judge said. “With 12 in a row, there’s a little bit of luck in there, too.”

RELATED: How Aaron Judge Came to Realize He Was Adopted