Yankees, Padres on Wrong Side of MLB History With Rare Stats from Playoff Exits

The New York Yankees and San Diego Padres went out with a relative whimper in their respective MLB playoff series.

The Yankees got swept by the Tampa Bay Rays, losing 4-3 in Game 3 on Wednesday night. Katie Sharp of Sports Reference pointed out how anemic the Bronx Bombers' offense was throughout the American League Division Series:

For the Padres, it was a case of history repeating itself to some degree. They failed to get a hit in their final 21 at-bats in a 3-1 defeat to the Milwaukee Brewers, setting a new record in the National League, per OptaSTATS:

It was reminiscent of the 2024 NLDS, when San Diego's offense disappeared in the final two games against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The sting of the postseason exits is magnified by bigger questions about what's next for both organizations.

Aaron Judge, who missed the playoffs because of a calf injury, isn't getting any younger. The Yankees' best shot at winning a World Series with him at the fore may have passed them by.

At the very least, it's clear the roster right now isn't good enough.

San Diego's championship window might be closed altogether. Xander Bogaerts and Manny Machado are 34 and in the midst of a general decline. Pitching ace Michael King could opt out. Yu Darvish could retire altogether, while Joe Musgrove has logged three total innings since 2024.

In addition, nobody knows whether team owners José E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones will tighten the payroll further or give president of baseball operations A.J. Preller the green light to spend.

There's rarely a satisfying way for a team to lose in the playoffs. Neither the Yankees nor Padres gave a good account of themselves in the LDS, and that's bound to create a winter of discontent for their fans.