Once again, as in the 2024 World Series, Manager Aaron Boone’s questionable decision in a huge moment may cost the Yankees another October. That time, Boone pulled ace Gerrit Cole after only 88 dominant pitches in Game 1, when the Yankees still had a 2-1 lead over the Dodgers. But then the bullpen collapsed, and the team never recovered, which cost the Yankees dearly. Now, once again, the New York Yankees have found the same heartbreaking way to lose a playoff game, this time in their first Wild Card Game of 2025.
Yankees ace Max Fried completely silenced the Red Sox bats for 6.1 innings, allowing only 4 hits while striking out 6, and protected the 1-0 lead they got from Anthony Volpe’s homer in the second. But at the top of the seventh, after retiring Jarren Duran, manager Aaron Boone decided to pull Fried at his 102 pitch count and give the ball to Luke Weaver. The decision changed the game completely as Weaver first allowed a walk and then allowed two run RBIs from Masataka Yoshida after a double from Nick Sogard. This gave Boston a 2-1 advantage from which the Yankees never recovered.
On the other hand, Boston’s manager, Alex Cora, showed a different kind of trust in his ace, Garrett Crochet, by keeping him deep in the game, and Crochet threw a career-high 117 pitches over 7.2 dominant innings and 11 K’s, where he retired 15 straight batters after Volpe’s homers to secure the win for Boston.
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Yankees icon CC Sabathia tweeted a telling emoji: 👀before the game ended 3-1. Then, the ultimate rival Red Sox hero, David Ortiz, the hero of Yankees vs. Red Sox 2004 postseason Game 4, posted a video of the final 3-1 scoreboard in his Instagram story with a caption that read “Daaaa jankees looooooooooose” and Boston’s victory song, Dirty Water, played in the background.
So, why did Boone make the call that blew the game? Boone may have wanted to save his best pitcher for a long playoff run and trusted his bullpen to get the final ten outs of the game, especially placing faith in Luke Weaver, a hero from the 2024 postseason. Volpe may be the reason for that, right? But whatever the reason for the move, it’s safe to say New York is furious.
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Voices from the New York
Sports writer John Frascella immediately pointed out the difference in how Red Sox manager Alex Cora handled his ace versus Boone. Frascella tweeted, “Max Fried around 100 pitches with a shutout… Aaron Boone takes him out. Garrett Crochet around 100 pitches… Alex Cora DOESN’T EVEN WARM ANYBODY UP. That’s a Loser Manager vs a Real Manager right there.”
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Gary Sheffield Jr., son of a former Yankees star, sarcastically wrote, “Props to Aaron Boone not overworking Max Fried to prepare him for his big start in March.” Given that NO team has lost the first game of a Wild Card and won the series ever, why did Boone need to save his pitcher, costing the series?
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Sheffield Jr. then followed up with another tweet that blamed the Yankees’ manager system. He said, “I wish more people understood that if Crochet were a Yankee tonight, Aaron Boone would have pulled him at 100 pitches for Weaver and lost this game.” Considering when Boone pulled Gerrit Cole early in the 2024 World Series, which also led to a devastating loss, we can’t argue with the logic. That’s why well-known Mets fan Frank Fleming wrote with some humor, “Why didn’t Alex Cora take out Corchet? I thought it was illegal to let a dominant pitcher stay in the game. At least that is what Aaron Boone thinks.”