There was a bang of the table, albeit with an open hand rather than a closed fist.
There were several curses.
There were a few “It’s right in front of us” recitations, a consistent rallying cry in the face of adversity over the past few seasons.
Several hallmarks of a frustrated Aaron Boone appeared after one of the more frustrating games of the season in what has been a frustrating and frustratingly long poor stretch of play.
After a 12-3 loss in The Bronx on Wednesday in which the Yankees were outplayed in every facet by the Mets, which meant the Yankees have dropped 22 of 32 in a skid that won’t stop, Boone appeared to bring the frustration to the postgame podium.
“Nobody has higher expectations than us in that frickin’ room,” the manager said. “We’re pissed off. We got to play better. This has gone on long enough. It’s very frustrating to go through. But I also know we’re competing our asses off. We just got to make sure we continue to walk in with the right level of edge and willingness to compete because no one’s going to pull us out of this but us.”
He was asked about a message to fans, who have watched the same kind of midseason downturn two seasons in a row.
“Nothing I can say matters,” Boone said. “We got to do it. I’m confident we will. I know we will pull out of this, but that’s all that is right now is me saying it to you.”
He consistently has referenced this run of poor play that dates back nearly six weeks as a poor “stretch” or “slump.”
Asked whether such an extended period of a nosedive still qualifies as a “stretch,” Boone showed irritation.
“I’m not defining … we got to play better,” Boone said, his voice rising. “We have it right in front of us. We’re a really good team that has played s—ty of late.
“I’m not going to define ‘stretch this or that,’ ” he said, his hand hitting the table. “We got to go win. And we’re right there. We’re watching other teams struggle around us. We know we got to be better. We’re pissed off in there. We got a lot of pride in there. We got a lot of expectation in there.
“So ‘stretch,’ ‘slump,’ ‘recent’ — I don’t give a s–t. We got to play better the rest of the way.”
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