MLB standings by errors: Yankees prove they’re not good enough

The New York Yankees fell 6-3 in a competitive rivalry match against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night. On the surface, it was a close game, tied as late as the sixth inning before Boston put an exclamation mark on the game. But a dig beneath the surface reveals a more troubling pattern for New York. This is team is hopelessly unreliable on defense.

The Yankees committed four errors — four! — in the loss. Only three of Boston's six runs were actually earned, which means the Yankees' pitchers, on paper, were quite solid across the board. Still, even there, nine walks (including five from sophomore Luis Gil) put base-runners on the bag, which in turn set up the defense for misfortune.

New York's propensity errors has been a mounting storyline all season long. Brian Cashman made an effort to improve the Yankees' defense at the trade deadline, most notably via the Ryan McMahon trade, but so far, he has only managed to put a band-aid on a gushing wound. Blame Aaron Boone, blame whomever you choose, but the Yankees' fundamental instability on defense is a serious concern looking toward October.

If there is a silver lining for Yankees fans, it's that they aren't the worst defensive team, at least in terms of errors committed. It just feels that way.

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American League standings by errors

The Yankees' defense leaves much to be desired — there's no denying it — but New York is also far from the worst defensive team, even if the volume of errors tends to compound at particularly inconvenient times. Such as a rivalry game against the Red Sox.

New York's errors tend to be uniquely confounding or hilarious, depending on your disposition — whether it's Anthony Volpe bobbling a routine groundball or Jasson Domínguez miscalculating the trajectory of a hit toward the fence in left field. And it's absolutely a problem. On a fundamental level, this Yankees team has struggled all season. The basic mental errors stack up quickly, from swing decisions to base-running follies and everything in between.

That aforementioned silver lining comes in the form of the Boston Red Sox, ironically the worst team in MLB in errors per game. The National League team tied with Boston at the bottom of these standings? Well, it's not the best company to keep.

National League standings by errors

Yes, the Colorado Rockies. Again, not the best company for Boston.

As for the Yankees, only five teams in MLB are worse in the errors department. And this only accounts for fielding errors. It's an ominous sign with October on the horizon, and a clear area of focus down the stretch for Boone and the coaching staff.

There is some solace to be had in the fact that Boston is, somehow, even worse. And for that matter, Toronto can experience its share of defensive lapses, too. But for a Yankees team so steeped in chaos and inconsistency, it's hard to imagine this glaring weakness proving inconsequential come the postseason.