BY NATHAN SOLOMON, SPORTS EDITOR
Another year, another missed opportunity.
The New York Yankees set lofty goals ahead of the 2021 season with the expectation of winning a World Series. However, following a 6-2 defeat in the AL Wild Card game, the Yankees are again left shaking their heads.
This, unfortunately, is something the Yankees are getting used to. New York has made just one ALCS appearance in the last four seasons, all of which were seasons where the team had World Series aspirations. The Yankees came oh-so-close to the World Series in 2017, blowing a 3-2 on the road to the Houston Astros, whom MLB later penalized for cheating.
But, that 2017 ALCS team was significantly worse than any of the teams the Yankees have had since then. Joe Girardi managed the 2017 team, however the Yankees moved on from him following that miraculous postseason campaign.
Enter Aaron Boone.
Boone made an impact right away with the Yankees, winning 100 games in his first season. However, it wasn’t enough to catch the 108-win Boston Red Sox in the division, meaning the Yankees settled for a Wild Card spot. New York rolled the Athletics in the Wild Card game, just to get beaten by the Red Sox in four games in the ALDS.
In 2019, Boone’s Yankees won the division with 103 victories, swept the Minnesota Twins in the ALDS and lost in six games to the Houston Astros in the ALCS. Although the team didn’t achieve their World Series goals, it was certainly a step in the right direction.
Come 2020, things started to get a little hairy for Boone. Albeit a COVID-19-shortened season, the Yankees finished the regular season six games under .500 and barely snuck into the expanded postseason. With a best-of-three series set for Progressive Field in Cleveland, the Yankees took care of business to sweep the Indians in two games. The team then traveled to San Diego to face the Tampa Bay Rays in a neutral site ALDS and lost in five games in part to several questionable decisions by Boone. Such as, in Game 2, Boone pulled starting pitcher Deivi Garcia after just one inning for then 37-year-old JA Happ, who struggled in 2.2 innings, allowing five runs and gifting the Rays a victory.
And, of course, 2021 was a forgettable season for Yankee fans. Although 92 wins seems great, the team blew many winnable games and struggled on offense for a major portion of the season. Boone continued to make questionable decisions and became easily scrutinized by fans and the media. The eventual result – a wild card game loss to the rival Boston Red Sox.
With such a talented roster each season, you must turn to Boone for the lack of postseason success. Boone is just 11-11 in the postseason, often leaving fans scratching their heads about his decision making. He seems over-reliant on analytics without having much of a feel for the game. Boone just does what the stats say. He simply has no feel for the non-measurable circumstances of the game. He’s a puppet.
The Yankees have failed to make a World Series appearance in the Boone era, and it’ll likely remain that way if he stays with the team. Boone’s contract expires this winter, so it’s best the Yankees move on from him and find a manager with better feel for the game
Solomonj20@bonaventure.edu
