Yankee says players 'spooked' by booing

New York Yankees players admittedly were taken aback at how nasty their fans were as they lost two games at Yankee Stadium on their way to getting swept in the American League Championship Series.

In the aftermath of that sweep, one player maintains the boo-birds had perhaps an even deeper impact.

An unidentified player told the New York Daily News that players were "spooked" by the booing at home - though that certainly wouldn't explain away the club's feeble offensive performance throughout the series.

Said the player: "I really think the booing spooked a lot of guys. A lot of guys were talking about it in the clubhouse. I was surprised by how much it bothered them. I really don't think they ever recovered."

After Thursday's Game 4 loss, they'll have all winter to recover.