New York Yankees

The New York Yankees re-signed skipper Aaron Boone to a three-year contract on Tuesday. And while some fans wish the club moved on, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told reporters he believes Boone would have been a top managerial candidate if New York let him go. 

"If he was entering the free-agent market, I believe he would be the No. 1 managerial candidate in baseball," Cashman said, per MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. 

He is probably right, too. Boone has led the Yankees to a winning record in each of his four seasons in the dugout, with New York going 92-70 during the 2021 campaign. 

Cashman has always been high on Boone, too, saying in June that the fourth-year manager wasn't going anywhere, per MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. 

However, the 48-year-old's job was seemingly in question after the Yankees were eliminated by the Boston Red Sox in the American League Wild Card Game. 

Boone is 11-11 in the postseason as New York's manager and has only led the club to the AL Championship Series once: the 2019 season when the Bronx Bombers fell to the Houston Astros in six games. 

Overall, Boone is 328-218 as manager of the Yankees. His .601 winning percentage is the second-highest in the majors among active managers behind Dave Roberts' .622. However, New York hasn't been to the World Series in 12 seasons, which is the third-longest drought in franchise history, per ESPN. 

The Yankees did not renew the contracts of hitting coach Marcus Thames and third base coach Phil Nevin following the 2021 season, and some believed Boone was next. He would not have lacked for opportunities after several teams have already fired their managers after disappointing seasons, including the San Diego Padres, New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals. 

If the Pinstripes fail to make a deep playoff run next year, the Yankees could still opt to move on from Boone. With players like Gerrit Cole, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and DJ LeMahieu on board, there's no excuse for New York to be underperforming.  

Aaron Boone will return as manager of the New York Yankees on a new three-year contract, the team announced Tuesday.

Jack Curry of the YES Network first reported the news.

Here’s Hal Steinbrenner’s quote about Boone’s return in the Yankees’ press release. pic.twitter.com/79B2qEspIo

— JackCurryYES (@JackCurryYES) October 19, 2021

The Yankees went 92-70 in 2021 and claimed one of the American League's two wild-card berths, but the rival Boston Red Sox eliminated them in the AL Wild Card Game.

Still, their surge in the second half of the season may have saved the manager's job.

Boone's previous contract expired after the 2021 MLB season, and the absence of an extension seemed to indicate he was on shaky ground from the first pitch on Opening Day. At the least, he had to convince ownership he was worth bringing back for 2022 and potentially beyond.

At the All-Star break, the 48-year-old had the look of a lame-duck manager. The Bronx Bombers were 46-43 and in danger of missing the playoffs.

General manager Brian Cashman indicated in June that Boone wasn't going anywhere but may not have used the most complimentary metaphor.

"We made this bed and we are going to sleep in it," he said. "We are in this together."

Yankees chairman Hal Steinbrenner was more emphatic in July:

Does Hal Steinbrenner believe the Yankees have the right coaching staff in place?

"Absolutely...nobody is working harder than the coaches" pic.twitter.com/bnOcAOrhWq

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 1, 2021

He proceeded to point the finger at the Yankees players for the team's underwhelming start:

"They're the ones on the field. They're a group of very talented, professional athletes that [are] playing this game at the highest level in the world. They need to fix this problem. They need to fix the problem, because everyone, including our fanbase, and rightfully so, has had enough, quite frankly. It's enough, and they know that, and you're seeing them say that."

A manager is tasked with getting the most out of his roster, so he can't avoid blame when players aren't delivering. But the arrivals of Anthony Rizzo and Joey Gallo ahead of the MLB trade deadline were evidence of a lineup that wasn't getting it done.

Gleyber Torres slugged below .400 for the second straight season. Gio Urshela saw his OPS fall from .858 in 2020 to .720. DJ LeMahieu also returned to his pre-New York days with 10 home runs in 679 plate appearances. Gallo batted .160 in 58 games with the team. The Yankees' two best hitters, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, missed 37 combined games as well.

And if Boone was on the hot seat for how the Yanks played in the first half, then he deserved some share of credit for how they fared in the second half.

Currently cackling at the idea that if the Yankees (99 win pace since starting 6-11) win the East Aaron Boone is going to get some Manager of the Year votes, which will be notable since all of NY sports talk radio had him fired for being soft on July 5

— Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) August 21, 2021

He hasn't been faultless in his four years in the New York dugout. The absence of an American League pennant is glaring given the team's talent and regular-season success. Perhaps not coincidentally, bullpen management was one of his Achilles' heels, and that's an area where adept managers can gain an edge that makes the difference in a playoff series.

But Boone's .601 winning percentage is better than that of Joe Girardi (.562) and only marginally worse than Joe Torre's (.605). Four straight postseason appearances is an achievement too given the competitiveness of the AL East.

The Yankees may come to regret bringing Boone back if they get off to another slow start in 2022, but it's difficult to disagree with the choice right now.

New York Yankees hitting coach Marcus Thames will not have his contract renewed for 2022, per Lindsey Adler of The Athletic.

The Yankees will also not renew the contracts of third base coach Phil Nevin or assistant hitting coach P.J. Pilittere, per ESPN's Buster Olney.

"They made a decision," Thames said, per Brendan Kuty of NJ.com. "I just hate that we didn't win a championship. But they want to go in a different direction, and I guess I wasn't the voice that they thought to get us over the hump."

Thames had been on the Yankees staff since 2016 and has been the team's hitting coach since 2018. The 44-year-old also began his playing career with the organization, making his major league debut in 2002.

The Yankees have reached the playoffs in each of the past five years with Thames in the clubhouse, but they haven't reached their goal of a World Series title or even an AL pennant.

New York was eliminated in the AL Wild Card Game this postseason with a 6-2 loss to the rival Boston Red Sox. 

Nevin came under fire during the game after Aaron Judge was thrown out at home by a wide margin:

🎯 pic.twitter.com/48cDjKcOp3

— MLB (@MLB) October 6, 2021

The third base coach's decision was a pivotal play in what was a 3-1 game at the time. It helped end Nevin's time with the Yankees after five seasons.

The offense had been more of a problem throughout the season for the Yankees, however. They finished 19th in the majors in runs scored and 23rd in batting average.

The struggles came despite having proven hitters like Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and D.J. LeMahieu in the lineup, plus midseason additions like Anthony Rizzo and Joey Gallo. The team had plenty of power but not enough consistency at the plate.

Young players such as Gleyber Torres, Gary Sanchez, Gio Urshela and Clint Frazier have also struggled to develop as expected. All of them finished the 2021 season with a below-average OPS+ under 100, per Baseball Reference.

Most of the lineup remains under team control, giving the Yankees the chance to bounce back offensively in 2022. They seem to believe that they need a new hitting coach to unlock their potential.    

New York Yankees chairman Hal Steinbrenner reportedly "seems inclined" to retain Aaron Boone as the club's manager despite an early playoff exit in the wild-card round.

ESPN's Buster Olney reported Tuesday that Steinbrenner felt "underachieving player performance" was the main reason the Yanks didn't make a deeper postseason run, and he'll likely work toward a new deal with Boone, whose contract is set to expire after the 2021 World Series.

"He likes [Boone], and I don't think he blames him for what happened," a source told Olney.

The Yankees were forced to fight until the final day of the regular season just to earn a playoff berth despite a $203.3 million payroll that ranked second in MLB to the Los Angeles Dodgers ($267.2 million), according to Spotrac.

New York proceeded to suffer a 6-2 defeat to the rival Boston Red Sox in the AL Wild Card Game. Ace Gerrit Cole, in the second season of a nine-year, $324 million contract, allowed three earned runs on four hits and two walks in just two-plus innings of work in the loss.

"I haven't had any conversations about [my contract] with anyone, so we'll see," Boone told reporters afterward. "I love being here. I love going to work with this group of players."

He added: "Whatever does happen, I'm at peace with. I know that I can hold my head high."

Boone has guided the Yanks to a strong 328-218 record during the regular season since being hired in 2018, but he's posted a more mundane 11-11 mark in the playoffs, and the storied organization hasn't reached the World Series during his four-year tenure.

Placing the Yankees' lack of postseason success on the players' shoulders might be a tough sell to the team's fans, who've frequently questioned Boone's managerial decisions in recent years.

Aside from Gleyber Torres, who hasn't been the same player since hitting 38 home runs in 2019, and deadline acquisition Joey Gallo, who hit a paltry .160 after joining the club, it's hard to say any other members of the roster severely underperformed in 2021.

The Yankees lost leadoff hitter DJ LeMahieu to injury at an inopportune time before the playoffs, and Cole couldn't deliver a shutdown performance in the wild-card game, but for the most part the players delivered numbers at or near what could be expected.

Olney noted Boone could receive interest from the San Diego Padres, who fired Jayce Tingler after their second-half collapse, if he hits the managerial free-agent market, while Houston Astros bench coach Joe Espada is an early name to watch if the Yanks opt for a change atop their coaching staff.

Espada spent four years as a coach with the Miami Marlins (2010-13) and three with the Yankees (2015-17) before joining the Astros in 2018.

It sounds like Boone's fate could come down to the wire despite the indications Steinbrenner is interested in maintaining the status quo heading into 2022.

As we inch closer to the MLB offseason, teams are beginning to map out their plans for free agency. Rumors are starting to fly as organizations are looking for improvements both on the field and in the front office.

Here, we look at the latest buzz surrounding three MLB teams who hope to upgrade multiple areas this offseason.

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Yankees Likely to Retain Aaron Boone, Brian Cashman

After the New York Yankees lost last week's American League Wild Card Game to the Boston Red Sox, fans were calling for changes to be made, namely for the team to part ways with manager Aaron Boone and general manager Brian Cashman.

It looks like Yankees fans will not be getting what they wished for, though. Jon Heyman of MLB Network noted after last week's game that the GM "isn't going anywhere."

Heyman points to Cashman still having a year left on his contract and the team's success under his leadership as reasons he will be back next season. The Yankees have won four World Series titles with the 54-year-old as GM, and they've made the playoffs in each of the past five seasons.

As for Boone, Heyman added that he is "beloved by Cashman and the players," so it looks as though he will be back for another year as well. He has a .601 winning percentage in his five seasons as Yankees manager.

The Yankees were a streaky team this season that failed to find any consistency. If no changes are made to the front office or coaching staff, New York will have to be big spenders in free agency if it hopes to contend next season.

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Phillies Looking for Upgrade at Shortstop

This year's class of free agents is headlined by a strong group of shortstops. Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, Trevor Story, Javier Baez and Marcus Semien are all expected to hit the open market.

One team that will reportedly be in play for any one of those stars is the Philadelphia Phillies. Heyman reported there is no guarantee Didi Gregorius will be back as their starting shortstop

Heyman also noted Phillies owner John Middleton "wants to win," as evidenced by his recent spending in free agency. In the past three years, the team has made splashy offseason moves by bringing in Bryce Harper, JT Realmuto and Zack Wheeler, among others.

Despite the big-name additions, the Phillies failed to make the playoffs this season and have not played in the postseason since 2011. Philadelphia's 82-80 record this year was its first season with a winning record in 10 years.

The Phillies will also be seeking a left fielder and closer this offseason, according to Heyman.

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Ron Washington a Candidate for Padres Vacancy

The San Diego Padres fired manager Jayce Tingler last week after the team fell short of expectations with a disappointing 79-83 record this season.

After things didn't work out in two seasons with a first-time manager, San Diego might be looking for someone more experienced to lead the team.

According to Heyman, Atlanta Braves third base coach Ron Washington is a candidate the Padres will consider pursuing this offseason for the position.

The 69-year-old served as manager for the Texas Rangers from 2007-14. He led the team to back-to-back World Series appearances in 2010 and 2011 but lost to the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals, respectively. He has a winning percentage of .521 as a manager (664-611).

Washington was in the running for the Padres position last time they had an opening, so he may have a head start on other candidates. Heyman noted that he finished second behind Tingler the last time around.

BOSTON – It was already a full hour after their wild-card loss to the Boston Red Sox Tuesday night, and yet the New York Yankees were still having trouble processing another October failure. Aaron Boone said his players were "crushed." And indeed they were.

Gerrit Cole appeared to be in a daze on Zoom, telling reporters, "I'm sick to my stomach."

Aaron Judge said, "every part of me can't believe it ended like this."

Brett Gardner couldn't even bring himself to change out of his uniform. 

Gone, in one night, was the expectation of a run for the World Series. The Yankees barely made it to the wild-card round—it took a 1-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on the final day of the regular season to get there—but that was supposed to be the starting gun on bigger, better things.

To the very end, Boone kept promising the Yankees would find an extra gear. The Yankees were a fluky, 92-win team, no match for the 100-win Rays over the summer. But just wait, they said. October will be a different story.

Only, the journey ended with an embarrassing 6-2 loss at Fenway Park where literally everything went wrong. Cole only got six outs. The offense was once again silenced, and the game's most important sequence—Judge trying to score from first on Giancarlo Stanton's blast off the Green Monster in the sixth inning—ended in disaster, as he was cut down at plate thanks to perfect relay throws.

The Yankees will spend the next few days counting their regrets, but the real questions are ahead of them.

It's been four years since Boone replaced Joe Girardi and ushered in a rising core of young stars. The Baby Bombers, they were called. 

Not only has Boone failed to deliver a championship, but his team has also gone backward since 2019, getting eliminated a round earlier than the year before in back-to-back playoff runs.

Where do the Yankees go from here? The answer will depend on the outcome of five major issues.

      

1. Is Boone History?

This will be an agonizing decision for ownership, which holds Boone in such high personal regard. Executives consider the manager a man of integrity whose leadership style is based on trust and faith in his players. But that's not the same as saying Boone is still the right man for the job. 

He was hired in 2017 because the front office had grown tired of Joe Girardi's rigid personality and tense demeanor in the dugout. Girardi managed like a high school football coach; with his tight crew cut, he looked more like a state trooper than a baseball lifer. The pendulum needed to swing the other way.

Boone was younger, more engaging, a better communicator. He was and still is a people person. That chemistry worked for two years during the regular season, as the Yankees put together back-to-back 100-win campaigns in 2018 and 2019.

However, neither season yielded a championship. Even though the Yankees privately seethed at the Red Sox and Astros' cheating in '18 and '19, those were the Yankees' two best chances to break through.

More recently, the league is "closing the gap," Boone said. But instead of a counter-move, the Yankees have stalled. They're a talented team but are no longer considered a cutting-edge force.

GM Brian Cashman may well decide the Bombers need a less accommodating leader who can impose his will on the player. With his contract set to expire, Boone was asked if he expected a new contract or if he had managed his last game.

"We'll see what happens," Boone said. "Whatever does happen, I'm at peace with it. I can hold my head high."

       

2. Is Cole Really the Ace?

He's the Yankees' best pitcher; of that, there is no doubt. However, a second-half slump (4.14 ERA) raised questions about Cole's long-term standing with the Bombers.

He's not going anywhere, not with seven years left on a nine-year, $324 million contract, but Cole has stopped making the Yankees feel invincible whenever he takes the mound. Put it this way: Cole's two-plus inning pummeling by the Red Sox wasn't an isolated incident. He allowed 18 earned runs over his last 19.2 innings.

Getting Cole to explain this drop-off has so far been unsuccessful. He won't discuss life without Spider Tack and insists a strained hamstring, which he first injured in August, was not a factor down the stretch.

If so, then what did happen? 

One possibility is that Cole needs another alpha starter to push him as Justin Verlander did in Houston.

The Yankees have no such partner for Cole. Masahiro Tanaka, a fixture for so many years as the No. 2, was allowed to leave last winter as a free agent. He was replaced by Corey Kluber, who, aside from an early-season no-hitter, never regained his former star power.

Cole is basically on his own in the Bronx. Even his pitching coach, the young, affable but largely inexperienced Matt Blake, doesn't seem to offer much help. Blake appears uncomfortable, perhaps even intimidated, coming to the mound to talk to Cole.

Finding another dominant pitcher—make that a dominant personality in the rotation—will have to be on the Yankees' to-do list this off-season.

       

3. Will the Lineup's Philosophy Ever Change?

The Yankees love home runs: they're geared to hit rockets beyond the stadium's short porch in right field. But the obsession with power came at a steep price.

The homer-or-nothing approach was vulnerable to prolonged slumps, particularly against better pitching. The Yankees ranked 19th in the majors in runs scored. In their final three games of the year, including their loss against the Red Sox, the Yankees scored only five runs on 14 hits.

Cashman may finally realize it's time for a new business model. He doubled down on power at the trade deadline, sending four prospects to the Rangers for Joey Gallo, who proceeded to hit .160 and struck out on 38.6% of his plate appearances in his time with New York.

It’s clear the Yankees need a more diverse lineup, less interested in big swings than consistent contact. That will likely end Gary Sanchez’s time in the Bronx and force Cashman to think long and hard about Gleyber Torres’ future.

For now, Torres is the second baseman; he showed flashes of maturity at the plate after being switched off shortstop. But it’s anyone’s guess who next summer’s shortstop will be.

It’s possible a one-year place holder will be brought in via free agency until prospect Anthony Volpe, currently at Class-AA, is ready. Or perhaps the Yankees opt to pursue big-money free agents to be Corey Seager or Trevor Story, which would mean trading Torres and transitioning Volpe to second base.

In either scenario, the Yankees are likely to lose the valuable Anthony Rizzo to free agency. His presumed asking price—$100 million over five years—will be beyond the club’s reach while still paying Cole, Stanton and. D.J. LeMahieu huge salaries. Judge might be added to that list this winter, too.

       

4. What Happens to Gary Sanchez?

Ownership gave the enigmatic catcher one last chance in 2021 to jump-start his career. By the end, though, Sanchez had mostly lost his job to Kyle Higashioka. One member of the organization said in the weeks before the playoffs, "we tried and tried, waited and waited for Gary."

If he can’t be traded, don’t be surprised by a non-tender. The dissatisfaction with Sanchez extends beyond his bat (.183 average in the second half) but behind the plate as well.

Already in his seventh major league season, Sanchez is still making mental errors that dumbfounded Boone and his coaching staff. Even those in the front office who advocated for Sanchez admit they were wrong.

The Yankees are likely to move on from Sanchez, not only to replace him with a more energetic force in the lineup but with a better defender, too. Sanchez was third-worst in defensive runs saved (-10) and his framing of pitches (FRM) was a meager -2.4.

        

5. Is it Time to Sign Aaron Judge to a Long-Term Deal?

The slugger lived up to his end of the bargain, staying healthy and enjoying his best year since his breakout 2017 campaign. Now only a year away from free agency, the Yankees need to decide whether they'll keep him waiting through the 2022 season.

Even though Judge would seem to have checked all the boxes, one executive suggested a commitment is still no sure thing.

For one, the Yankees rarely make such moves prematurely. And second, "both sides (the owners and players) need clarity on the (Collective Bargaining Agreement)."

With the possibility of a labor disruption before Opening Day, don't be surprised if Judge is left hanging. It's unlikely he'll leave in 2023—Judge himself said, "I'd like to be a Yankee for life, finish my career here." 

Until then, his contract is one of several matters that an organization in flux needs resolve.

It's going to be a frenetic winter for the Bombers. Not necessarily a good one—just very, very busy.

       

Stats obtained from Baseball Reference and FanGraphs.

Follow Bob Klapisch on Twitter.

New York Yankees star Aaron Judge is under team control for only one more season, but the right fielder doesn't want to go anywhere.

"I want to be a Yankee for life," he told reporters after Tuesday's loss to the Boston Red Sox in the American League Wild Card Game. "I want to wear these pinstripes for the rest of my career and represent this great organization and bring a championship back to the city."

Judge earned his third career All-Star selection in 2021, finishing with 39 home runs and 98 RBI to go with a .287 batting average. It was enough to help the Yankees reach the postseason, but they were eliminated with a 6-2 loss.

The Yankees have reached the playoffs in five straight years but have not advanced to the World Series in that stretch, and their last title came in 2009. They reached Game 7 of the American League Championship Series in 2017 and Game 6 of the 2019 ALCS, but the Houston Astros eliminated them each time.

New York will look for more success in 2022, but the team already had the second-highest payroll in the majors this season behind only the Los Angeles Dodgers, per Spotrac. It will remain high next season with a combined $65 million owed to Giancarlo Stanton and Gerrit Cole and other high-priced players—such as Aroldis Chapman, Zack Britton, Rougned Odor and Aaron Hicks—on the books.

Judge is eligible for arbitration and could get a significant raise on his $10.2 million salary.

It would likely cost even more annually for the Yankees to sign the 29-year-old to an extension.

Despite his talent, the organization could also be cautious considering Judge's injury history. He played just 28 of 60 games during the coronavirus pandemic-shortened 2020 season and missed 110 games combined in 2018-19.

Even though Judge wishes to remain in the Bronx, he knows there are no guarantees.

"You never know what the future holds for you," he said Tuesday. 

The New York Yankees' season came to a close Tuesday night in painful fashion, losing 6-2 to the Boston Red Sox in the American League Wild Card Game while adding another memorable chapter to one of the most heated rivalries in sports. 

Well, memorable for the Red Sox and their fans, at least. 

"Guys are crushed," manager Aaron Boone told reporters after the loss. "Tonight was another tough one to take. We have been through a lot of wars with guys in that room, and we have a lot of scars. … When it ends so abruptly, the ending is really cruel."

https://twitter.com/MarlyRiveraESPN/status/1445598685224603650

Aaron Boone hasn’t won a WS in his first four years as Yankees manager. The last time a Yankees manager was allowed to manage a fifth year without having already won a ring was in 1922.

— Joe Giglio (@JoeGiglioSports) October 6, 2021

"The league's closed the gap on us. We've got to get better"

Aaron Boone talks about the mood in the Yankees clubhouse, reflects on the 2021 season, and discusses what his message was to his team pic.twitter.com/4WHwq5gg02

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) October 6, 2021

One of the major questions for the Yankees heading into their offseason will be whether Boone is the right man for the job going forward. 

"Obviously, my contract is up," he told reporters. "I haven't had any conversations about that with anyone, so we'll see. I love being here. I love going to work with this group of players."

If the prevailing sentiment on Twitter is shared by the Yankees management and front office, Boone isn't long for the job:

Was this game on Boone? Not really. Lineup sucked, Cole sucked. But the team has gotten worse not better, they were Vegas favorites to win pennant and finished in third place & have gotten punked by the Red Sox twice in four years. If you want him extended, you’re insane.

— John Jastremski (@john_jastremski) October 6, 2021

https://twitter.com/KFILE/status/1445590773269872641

I think Aaron Boone has just managed his last game for the New York Yankees

— Ben Verlander (@BenVerlander) October 6, 2021

Boone, 48, has gone 328-218 in his four years with the Yankees, leading them to the postseason in each of those seasons. Only the 2019 Yankees made it as far as the ALCS, however. 

It isn't for a lack of resources. Only the Los Angeles Dodgers ($267.2 million) have a larger payroll than the Yankees ($203.3 million) this year, per Spotrac. The team with the best record in baseball this season, the San Francisco Giants, has a payroll of $152.2 million. The best team in both the AL East and American League, the Tampa Bay Rays, had the No. 26 payroll ($70.8 million). 

That the Yankees spent nearly triple the Rays but still finished eight games behind them and failed to advance past the Wild Card Round does not reflect well on the players, Boone or general manager Brian Cashman's roster construction. It's hard to see the 2021 season as anything other than an abject failure. 

Who bears the brunt of that failure remains to be seen. But it wouldn't be shocking if Boone took the fall. 

The New York Yankees' 2021 season came to an end Tuesday with a 6-2 loss to the rival Boston Red Sox in the American League Wild Card Game, but the uncertainty surrounding the team's immediate future may be just beginning.

Manager Aaron Boone told reporters, "Obviously, my contract is up. I haven't had any conversations about that with anyone, so we'll see. I love being here. I love going to work with this group of players."

If Tuesday was the final game for Boone in the Yankees' dugout, it wasn't one he will remember fondly.

Ace Gerrit Cole struggled from the start and didn't record an out in the third inning before Boone had to pull him. The lineup never got going against Boston starter Nathan Eovaldi, and the bullpen failed to keep the Yankees within relative striking distance after Cole exited.

Xander Bogaerts and Kyle Schwarber each went deep for the Red Sox, and solo shots from Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo weren't enough for the Bronx Bombers.

Boone—who played from 1997 through 2009 for the Cincinnati Reds, Yankees, Cleveland, Florida Marlins, Washington Nationals and Houston Astros—started his career as New York's manager in the 2018 season.

He has a 328-218 record and helped guide the Yankees to the playoffs in each of his four seasons.

Unfortunately for a franchise that is accustomed to winning in October, Boone has been unable to translate that regular season success into a deep playoff run. New York has advanced past the Division Series just once under his watch and lost the 2019 American League Championship Series to the Houston Astros when it did.

Postseason success is the ultimate measuring stick for a team that has 27 World Series rings, and it is still looking for its first championship since 2009.

It remains to be seen whether Boone will be the one tasked with leading the Yankees' title pursuit next season.

The latest bragging rights in the long and storied history between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox belong to the latter.

That is because the Red Sox defeated their rivals 6-2 in Tuesday's win-or-go-home American League Wild Card Game at Fenway Park. Nathan Eovaldi, Kyle Schwarber, Alex Verdugo and Xander Bogaerts led the way for the victors, who are looking for their fifth championship since 2004.

Gerrit Cole turned in a poor start for the Yankees, who have now fallen short of the World Series in all nine of their postseason appearances since winning the title in 2009.

Red Sox scare off Gerrit Cole and the Yankees 😂 @brwalkoff

Boston advances to the ALDS https://t.co/sXPNFQPF7o

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 6, 2021

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Notable Player Stats

• Nathan Eovaldi, P, BOS: 5.1 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 8 K, 0 BB
• Xander Bogaerts, SS, BOS: 1-for-2, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB
  
• Kyle Schwarber, DH, BOS: 1-for-3, 1 HR, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB
• Alex Verdugo, LF, BOS: 2-for-4, 3 RBI
• Giancarlo Stanton, DH, NYY: 3-for-4, 1 HR, 1 R, 1 RBI
• Anthony Rizzo, 1B, NYY: 1-for-4, 1 HR, 1 R, 1 RBI

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Red Sox Pitching Sets Tone in Win

Eovaldi was already a postseason hero in Boston before Tuesday's game thanks to the six innings he gutted through during extra frames in Game 3 of the World Series to preserve the pitching staff in the eventual championship year.

Yet the chance to shut down the rival Yankees in front of a raucous Fenway Park crowd during a win-or-go-home game also represented a golden opportunity to further bolster that October reputation.

It looked like Eovaldi would miss that opportunity when Giancarlo Stanton launched what appeared to be a no-doubt home run in the first inning, but it hit the Green Monster for a long single. With that break in his back pocket, the right-hander settled in and mowed through New York's lineup to the tune of 11 consecutive outs in the second through sixth innings.

Nathan Eovaldi has been who Gerrit Cole was supposed to be.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 6, 2021

Got em with the quick pitch 💨

(h/t @PitchingNinja) pic.twitter.com/OEeRyiHnf7

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) October 6, 2021

Nathan Eovaldi is cruising.

7 Ks in 5 innings so far 🔥

(via @MLB) pic.twitter.com/vj6jDZn1jA

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) October 6, 2021

pic.twitter.com/m6kmgEnLpO

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 6, 2021

What a relay! 🎯

(via @MLB) pic.twitter.com/UuU1yEoHpK

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) October 6, 2021

.@ARizzo44 gets one back for the @Yankees. pic.twitter.com/tZKQIKbVCD

— MLB (@MLB) October 6, 2021

He paired that stretch of dominance with eight strikeouts, which was fitting since he had a career-best 195 punchouts during the regular season.

While the streak of consecutive outs ended when Anthony Rizzo hit a solo homer in the top of the sixth just one batter before Eovaldi was pulled, he dazzled with movement on his fastballs while the bottom was dropping out from his breaking pitches.

He would have been tagged with another run in the sixth when Stanton drilled the wall again with an inherited runner on base, but a perfect relay throw from Bogaerts nailed Aaron Judge at the plate and kept all the momentum on Boston's side. It felt cruel that Stanton would have had two home runs in a different stadium, but the Green Monster was on the home team's side Tuesday.

Eovaldi deserves much of the credit, but the bullpen combination of Ryan Brasier, Tanner Houck, Hansel Robles and Garrett Whitlock closed the door. Stanton finally got his homer in the ninth, but it was the solo variety and didn't ruin what was a brilliant overall pitching performance.

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Gerrit Cole's Poor Effort Dooms Yankees from the Start

The Yankees signed Cole to a massive nine-year, $324 million deal prior to the 2020 campaign so he could pitch in these games.

The four-time All-Star had a 2.95 ERA and 0.93 WHIP in three postseason starts last year, but facing the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland is slightly different than the Red Sox in October when it comes to building a legacy as a Yankees star.

Things didn't go as planned Tuesday.

Xander Bogaerts gives the Red Sox an early lead with a 2-run shot 💥 @BRWalkoff

Fenway is ROCKING tonight

(via @RedSox)
pic.twitter.com/9AxdTt8BOq

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 6, 2021

97.4 coming in ➡️ 110.3 COMING OUT 🔥

Red Sox take a 3-0 lead over the Yankees

(via @MLB) pic.twitter.com/bp3Zw0B8nk

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) October 6, 2021

Red Sox fans waving goodbye to Gerrit Cole https://t.co/8kw2LcQTJO

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) October 6, 2021

Gerrit Cole got six outs.

And now he’s out of the game. #postseason pic.twitter.com/NbKL6kDZIF

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) October 6, 2021

VerduGoRedSox pic.twitter.com/ma3crLwROu

— MLB (@MLB) October 6, 2021

Cole didn't get a single out before he was pulled in the third inning and was charged with three runs thanks to homers from Bogaerts and Schwarber. It was clear the ace didn't have his best stuff, and his final numbers would have been much worse if Clay Holmes didn't strand the multiple runners he left on base in the third with a strikeout and double play.

As it turns out, asking the bullpen to go seven innings after Cole's short start and keep the visitors within striking distance was a tall ask in a hostile environment.

Verdugo made sure of it by lacing an RBI double off Luis Severino in the sixth to extend the advantage to 4-1. He also pushed the lead to 6-1 in the seventh with a two-RBI single off Chad Green with the bases loaded to all but clinch the win.

The Yankees lineup couldn't keep up and never accounted for the deficit Cole put it in from the start.

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What's Next?

The Red Sox will face the Tampa Bay Rays in the best-of-five AL Division Series with Game 1 scheduled for Thursday.