Yankees' Josh Donaldson Doesn't 'Feel That Bad' With How He's Played in Postseason

Donaldson doesn't think he's struggling. The numbers and the eye test tell a different story.

NEW YORK — After back-to-back singles, the Yankees fans that stuck around until the bottom of the ninth rose to their feet. New York was down 5-0, one out away from facing a 3-0 deficit in the American League Championship Series against the Astros.

Third baseman Josh Donaldson stepped up to the plate with two men on and two out. The plate appearance that he produced was much like the Yankees' overall performance in Game 3: he didn't stand a chance.

Donaldson watched a slider down the middle for strike one from Houston's right-hander Bryan Abreu. He swung through the second pitch of the at-bat, another slider up in the zone and off the inside corner. Then, Abreu brought the heat. Donaldson flailed and dropped down to one knee as he waved and missed, unable to check his swing on at 99-mph fastball up around his eyes.

The Stros want the sweep. #postseason pic.twitter.com/UiSHXHJ7M6

— MLB (@MLB) October 23, 2022

Plenty of fans had already swarmed to the exits in previous innings. Those that remained booed loudly as Donaldson retreated to the first-base dugout and the Astros celebrated another dominant ALCS victory on the field.

Donaldson was 0-for-3 with a walk on Saturday night, now 1-for-9 (.111) with seven strikeouts in the ALCS. He's 5-for-25 (.200) with 13 strikeouts in the postseason. He's struck out two-plus times in each of the Yankees' last six games. Two of his hits came in Game 1 of the Division Series against the Guardians, one being a fly ball off the right-field wall that Donaldson thought was gone—he got thrown out rounding first base in his home run trot.

The third baseman is just one of the many sluggers in New York's lineup that has failed to produce offensively in this series. Overall, the Yankees are hitting .128 in the ALCS against Houston with 12 hits and 41 strikeouts in 94 at-bats. They've scored two earned runs in three games.

Still, Donaldson assured during a postgame presser that he's feeling just fine at the plate. 

“Actually, I don’t feel that bad,” Donaldson said after the shutout loss. “Tonight, [I had] a couple strikeouts, but I think I’ve been working some counts, hit some balls, got a couple hits. But yeah, it would be nice to have a few more.”

Yankees manager Aaron Boone recently stood up for his third baseman, as he's done throughout the seasons, squashing any inkling that New York would bench Donaldson in this series.

Boone said it was "interesting" that "everyone" jumps on Donaldson when the entire offense is struggling, pointing out that the 36-year-old has been getting on base at a 40-percent clip in October.

"We need him. We need him,” Boone explained on a Zoom call before Game 3. “We need him to do something big within this series. We need to get that rolling, but that’s with everyone.”

Josh Donaldson discusses the loss, his at-bats, jump starting the offense, and more. pic.twitter.com/kdMOaiQcLA

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) October 23, 2022

New York made their Donaldson bed when they traded for him this spring, adding shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa as they said goodbye to Gary Sánchez and Gio Urshela, revamping the left side of their infield. Donaldson proceeded to have one of the worst offensive seasons of his career, batting .222/.308/.374 with 15 home runs in 132 games. To his credit, he played phenomenal defense at the hot corner and was robbed of being a Gold Glove Award finalist.

In the postseason, other than his seven walks, Donaldson continues to falter. Anecdotally. the vast majority of his at-bats have been uncompetitive. 

“I think they’ve made some good pitches on me,” Donaldson explained. “There’s been some in between, just because of how the mix [of pitches] has been at times. And quite frankly, I’ve missed a few pitches. But at the end of the day, I feel like I’m having decent at-bats. Just need to be better.”

This entire offense—from the stars to the final few players on the bench—has to be better. With the Yankees' postseason odds bleaker than ever, fans are begrudgingly reminded of what's on the horizon with this former Most Valuable Player as well. Donaldson made $23 million in 2022. He's guaranteed another $21 million for next year, his age-37 season. 

“At the end of the day, we just gotta do a better job and execute,” he said.

MORE:

• Aaron Judge Takes Responsibility For Harrison Bader's Costly Error in Game 3 of ALCS
• Yankees on Brink of Elimination After Another Lifeless ALCS Performance
• Nestor Cortes: Aaron Judge Should Be Yankees’ Captain If He Returns

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