It had been nearly a quarter-century since the Yankees suffered separate six-game losing streaks in the same season.
The last time it happened was in September/October of 2000, when the Yankees dropped 13 of their final 15 regular-season games, including the last seven.
But the present-day Yankees matched that unenviable feat on Saturday, when their 12-6 loss to the Mets at Citi Field extended their latest skid to six straight.
The Mets struck three home runs in Saturday’s rout, including two against Yankees starter Carlos Rodón.
Rodón surrendered a first-inning grand slam to Brandon Nimmo on a 1-2 slider that hung over the plate, giving the Mets a 4-0 lead. Pete Alonso extended the Mets’ advantage to 7-2 in the fifth when he drilled an opposite-field two-run homer on a Rodón fastball.
Those were the biggest blows in a rough afternoon for Rodón, who allowed a season-high seven runs (six earned) over five innings.
Not all of the damage was Rodón’s fault.
Left fielder Jasson Domínguez misplayed a Starling Marte blooper into a double to lead off the bottom of the first, while third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. committed a throwing error that allowed Tyrone Taylor to reach base in the second.
Taylor then scored when Marte lined a single off the left-field wall, accounting for Rodón’s unearned run. Chisholm has now committed six errors in 29 games as a third baseman this season, compared to three errors in 29 games as a second baseman.
But Rodón issued three walks, all of which came around to score on homers.
Before Saturday, Rodón had never been less than sensational against the Mets. He entered the day with a 3-0 record and a 1.15 ERA in three career starts against the Mets, including a five-inning, one-run outing in the Bronx in May.
Overall, Rodón was 8-2 with a 2.26 ERA in his previous 14 starts. With the loss, Rodón fell to 9-6 with a 3.30 ERA this season.
The Yankees committed another error after Rodón’s departure.
Center fielder Trent Grisham failed to glove a seventh-inning RBI single by Francisco Lindor on a hop, allowing Lindor to advance to second base. Ronny Mauricio scored from second on the clean hit.
Lindor would later score on a three-run home run by Alonso, who has three multi-homer games this year and 24 in his career. Alonso ended the day with 246 career homers, leaving him six shy of tying Darryl Strawberry’s franchise record.
The Yankees have lost 16 of their last 22 games, a stretch that includes both of their six-game slides.
When the Yankees lost six in a row from June 13-19, the biggest culprit was their offense, as they totaled only six runs during that streak.
The Yankees have swung the bats much better during this six-game stretch, averaging 5.7 runs per game and scoring at least four runs in each.
But their pitching has struggled this time, allowing 54 runs (51 earned) over 48 innings for a 9.56 ERA in the last six games.
The last time the Yankees suffered two six-game losing streaks in the same season, they rebounded to win the World Series, beating the Mets in five games in that Fall Classic.
The present-day Yankees look to rebound against the Mets on Sunday afternoon, when ace Max Fried (10-2, 2.13 ERA) will try to stave off a Subway Series sweep in Queens.
