Report: 'More Than One' Yankees Player Told Agent NY Fans Were 'Unusually Brutal'

The New York Yankees were reportedly "taken aback by the level of negativity hitting them" during American League Championship Series home games over the weekend, according to SNY's Andy Martino.

The Yankees were swept in four games by the Houston Astros, leading to a tense environment at Yankee Stadium as New York lost the final two games of the series.

Per that report: "More than one Yankee player has told his agent this week that playing at the stadium last weekend was an unusually brutal experience. It was hard for many teammates to believe that fans booed [Aaron] Judge. Even a difficult person and underperformer like Josh Donaldson was turned into a somewhat sympathetic figure internally by the force of the jeering."

Some consternation was to be expected.

The Yankees returned to New York already trailing 2-0 in the series and promptly dropped Game 3 5-0. The Yankees had also been tested by the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Division Series, needing all five games to eliminate them after trailing two games to one. That came after an August swoon—the team went just 10-18 in the month—likely cost them home-field advantage in the ALCS.

There might have been the brewing feeling that the Yankees were ripe to underachieve in the ALCS, in other words, though the Astros have also been on an absolute tear since May and have yet to lose in these playoffs. Outside of New York, it didn't come as a surprise that the Astros advanced to the World Series, though the sweep was a bit of a twist.

So combine a Yankees fanbase that has incredibly high expectations, has been spoiled by past successes and may have felt like its team was dramatically overmatched, and you get a cauldron for angst.

But that perhaps went haywire when Judge—who had an incredible, MVP-caliber season, blasting an American League-record 62 home runs—was booed by Yankees fans throughout the postseason.

Judge struggled, no doubt, going 5-for-36 with 15 strikeouts in the playoffs and 1-for-16 in the ALCS, and he made the final out in Game 4 against the Astros, a 6-5 loss. But the greater context is that Judge is set to become a free agent, and the Yankees cannot afford to lose him.

He's hardly the only superstar to be booed in New York. But it's hard to imagine he won't at least consider the reception he received at Yankee Stadium in these playoffs when it comes time to make a decision. It has to be a huge concern for the front office with other teams lurking and an enormous payday on the horizon.