In the opening game of the AL Wild Card Series, the New York Yankees were outmaneuvered in their own ballpark, not by superior talent, but by superior decision-making.
At the heart of the 3-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox was manager Aaron Boone’s questionable handling of his pitching staff, most notably his premature removal of ace Max Fried.
Fried was dealing. Over 6.1 scoreless innings, he struck out six and had just fanned Jarren Duran with his 102nd pitch. The Yankees held a slim 1-0 lead. The next batter, Ceddanne Rafaela, had been quiet all night and had historically struggled against Fried.
Despite this, and the fact that no runners were on base, Boone opted to go to his bullpen. He brought in right-hander Luke Weaver, bypassing the fact that Rafaela, a right-handed batter, actually performs better against righties than lefties.
The decision unraveled quickly. Weaver walked Rafaela, who rarely walks, igniting a rally. Nick Sogard followed with a hustle double to right-center, capitalizing on Aaron Judge’s compromised throwing arm. Boone had no immediate counter.
Boston’s Alex Cora sent lefty Masataka Yoshida to pinch-hit. Stuck with Weaver, Boone watched as Yoshida drilled the first pitch he saw into the outfield for a two-run single that flipped the lead, and momentum, for good.
Boone’s moves pale in comparison to Cora’s strategy
While Boone was playing matchups with a shaky bullpen, Cora managed with confidence and discipline. He stuck with his ace, Garrett Crochet, who threw a staggering 117 pitches, the most by any starter in the last six postseasons.
Crochet neutralized the Yankees’ offense with 11 strikeouts over 7.2 innings. Cora then handed the game over to Aroldis Chapman, who closed out the eighth and ninth innings with high-leverage pitches and pinpoint execution.
Cora didn’t just manage pitch counts, he managed matchups to perfection. Every pitcher Boston used was a lefty, a calculated move that kept Yankees left-handed hitters like Ben Rice on the bench and ensured favorable confrontations late in the game.
Boone, in contrast, left himself vulnerable. Even defensively, Boone made puzzling decisions, such as inserting Jazz Chisholm Jr. late in the game, only to have him face Chapman, a lefty closer, in a disadvantageous matchup.
The unraveling continued in the ninth when David Bednar allowed a backbreaking two-strike double to Alex Bregman, pushing Boston’s lead to 3-1. New York’s bullpen, which struggled throughout the regular season, was again exposed in October.
Ultimately, Boone’s decisions, especially pulling Fried and mishandling the bullpen matchups, were decisive. In a tight postseason contest, every move matters. Cora managed the moment. Boone blinked. And the Yankees are now playing from behind.
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