Manager Joe Girardi has almost always taken a universally sunny view of whatever circumstances the Yankees might be in. So it was little surprise that he thought his team, which faded in the second half and flatlined in the final stretch, could return mostly intact and accomplish the franchise’s usual stated goal.
“Pretty plain and simple — win the World Series,” said Girardi, something the Yankees have not done since 2009.
Girardi was speaking at a news conference Friday, three days after losing to the Houston Astros, 3-0, in a wild-card playoff, their first exposure to the playoffs in three years.