The Yankees needed extra innings at home to beat the worst team in the AL East last Sunday, so they needed a decisive game – and then a little more – to beat the Blue Jays 4-3 in 10 innings and win the season series 7-6 against perhaps the most disappointing club in the major leagues.

All of that underscored two problems that have plagued the Yankees this season – they haven’t played particularly well in the AL East or in the Bronx. Can they still win the division? Sure. They kept up with the Orioles at the top of the AL East by excelling on the road and outside the division. But it’s a much tougher (no pun intended) road.

It would be a contradiction of their history if they were mediocre in those areas and yet secured a bye in the first round of the playoffs and home-court advantage – if there is such a thing – if they cannot reverse the trends in the 10451 zip code area.

Because the Yankees, after losing their series against the Blue Jays, who had the fourth-worst record in the AL, lost two of three home games against the awful Angels, who had the third-worst record. That underscored more and more that in 2024, this is the house that truth built – because facts are facts: The Yankees simply don’t win in their stadium in the way we know from seasons when they were among the elite.

Overall, they entered Saturday’s Yankee Stadium winless, 30-26. But that was the 15th-best home record in the major leagues. Even more troubling, the Yankees are 1-6-1 in their last eight series in the Bronx and their overall record during that time is 9-18 – their worst 27-game home series since they also went 9-18 in 1992. That was the last year they were under .500 on the season (the last time they were under .500 at home was 1991).

The Yankees’ .536 home winning percentage this year through Friday was the third-worst for the franchise in the wild-card era (since 1995), trailing only .531 in 2013 and .519 last season — two years in which they missed the postseason.

It’s odd that this version of the Yankees is struggling in the short right outfield, considering the roster has returned to the kind of left-handed balance that has been sorely missed in recent years. The Yankees had 2,124 left-handed at-bats before Saturday — more than in any full season since 2018 — and their best combined left-handed OPS at home since 2019.

But as is typical for the 2024 Yankees, Aaron Judge and Juan Soto had an OPS of 1.036 at home, while everyone else was at .669, with Alex Verdugo (.615), Gleyber Torres (.604) and DJ LeMahieu (.550) in particular being cons at home. Soto’s home OPS was 1.007 in 239 batting appearances, compared to .671 for the other Yankee left-handers in 738 batting appearances.

Meanwhile, in the last eight Bronx series, the Yankees have hit more home runs 49-22 and their ERA has risen to 4.97 in those 27 games.

And remember, the Yankees actually have a winning record at home. In the AL East, that’s not the case, at 22-23. And the team with the best record in the AL East has won the division title the last seven seasons and 11 of 12. The only deviation was in 2017, when the Red Sox won the division with a 41-35 record and the Yankees were the wild card despite a 44-32 record. Perhaps the strength within the division should have revealed the courage of these Yankees, as they reached ALCS Game 7.

Baltimore just lost two of three games against Toronto, but still has a 24-12 record in the division. The Red Sox were the next best at 14-13. Don’t underestimate how little Boston has played in the division, as 13 of their last 33 games will be against Tampa Bay and Toronto, two of the biggest buyers at the trade deadline and therefore with less talent than the teams the Yankees have mostly faced.

The Yankees finished their season series against Tampa Bay and Toronto with a score of 7-6 against both, as well as 4-5 against Boston and 4-6 against Baltimore.

The Yankees have had a losing record in the AL East five times in the last 20 years, missing the playoffs in four of those years. They have won the division title eight times in the last 20 seasons, and had the best record in the division in seven of those years.

Again, the difference between Judge and Soto versus the other four AL East teams (1.144) and the rest of the team (.694) is stark, with Verdugo standing out at .492. Nestor Cortes, Carlos Rodon and Marcus Stroman have combined for 19 starts in the division and have a 6.31 ERA. Clay Holmes has four of his nine blown saves (an MLB high) in the AL East and a 5.91 ERA.

The Yankees had overcome their problems at home and in their division and were tied with the Orioles atop the AL East entering the weekend. However, it’s hard to imagine they can finish atop the division if that continues. They entered Saturday’s doubleheader against the Rangers with 25 home games remaining and just seven AL East games left.

But all seven games against the Red Sox and Orioles will take place in the final two weeks of the season… at Yankee Stadium.