


I know losing 16 of 22, as the Yankees did before beating the Mets on Sunday, is survivable.
Though in the moment it feels as if the sky is crashing, the reality is the Yankees have lost at least 16 of 22 in six different previous seasons in the Wild Card Era (since 1995) and made the playoffs in all but one:
1. In 1995, the Yankees had multiple 6-16 stretches in a May-to-June phase in which they went 11-24 to fall to 18-26 overall in what was a 144-game season due to labor issues. Plus, there was just one wild card. The Yankees rallied by trading for David Cone in July and having what is still the second-best September winning percentage (.786) in their history to win that wild card.
2. In 2000, the Yankees finished the season by going 6-16 as they went into coast mode up nine games early in September, and nearly blew all of the lead. That was a championship team, though, that knew how to revive for the postseason and won their third straight title.