Boone should’ve pulled Severino in the third. Severino’s great, and he was excellent in the wild card game, but a manager has to stay on his toes. Severino was clearly struggling in the first two innings, and especially with the bullpen that the Yankees have, he should’ve been pulled on the spot. Boone admitted yesterday that he was “greedy” because he didn’t pull Severino. Whichever team won game three was going to win the series, and this decision led to one of the biggest blowouts the Yankees have suffered.
Boone may have forgotten that the Yankees have a historically good bullpen (photo via MLB.com)
They lost 16-1! Brock Holt hit for a cycle… Brock Holt! That’s ridiculous. Game 4 was a repeat of game 1, the Yankees got down early, came back, and fell just short. Boone messed up again by leaving CC in for the third, letting up 3 crucial runs. Just like that, the preseason projected World Series winners were out of the playoffs.
As the Yankees enter the offseason, the biggest question will be: should they fire Aaron Boone? The answer is no.
Savvy media skills and personal connections to players can’t be taught, and Aaron Boone is one of the few managers to excel in both areas. Being more aggressive with the hook in elimination games is easier to fix. Boone will end up being a great manager if he can learn from his mistakes and grow alongside the Yankees young core of Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Gleyber Torres, and Luis Severino.
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