New York Yankees Stick It To Fans By Bringing Back Aaron Boone
The first Twitter response on the New York Yankees social media post sums it up perfectly: "No one wanted this."
That's how many Yankees fans, including myself, are feeling as the team has exercised manager Aaron Boone's option and will be bringing him back to the Bronx for another season.
BOONE SEEMS CURSED TO WIN IT ALL
From a personal level, Aaron Boone seems like a standup guy and a manager that cares about his players and wants the team to succeed.
But from a personnel standpoint, Boone is responsible for driving fans' blood pressure thru the roof after a number of blunders led to the team being eliminated in Game 5 of the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Think I'm joking? Just look at the title of two articles I wrote just two weeks ago:
"I Will Never Forgive Aaron Boone if the Yankees Lose The World Series."
"Aaron Boone Should Be Fired For That World Series Meltdown So The Yankees Can Start Fresh."
And I'm not alone, as many fans believe that Boone may simply not be the right coach for the job as he can't seem to win the big games when it matters. Of course, Boone isn't the one playing on the baseball diamond, but nevertheless, it was the 51-year-old's mind-numbing decisions that still have the fans and team wondering why he decided to do what he did.
YANKEES FANS ARE NOT PLEASED TO SAY THE LEAST
One of the biggest mistakes Boone did was pull Gerrit Cole in Game 1 at just 88 pitches and not bring in reliable closer Tim Hill. Instead, he brings in Nestor Cortes of all people who not only is not a relief pitcher, but also hadn't pitched since September 18th AND was still injured when Boone put him in. The Yankees would end up losing the game and crushing any momentum they had in what seemed like a given victory.
In Game 5, Boone would then see his team have one of the worst meltdowns a baseball team has ever had. Multiple errors and even a catcher's interference call allowed the Dodgers to come back after trailing 5-0 heading into the 5th inning. Boone would later make another bullpen mistake in which he didn't bring Clay Holmes back out on the mound. That would have allowed him to not have to face a mandatory three batters under the new MLB pitching rules. Instead, Tommy Kahnle would give up 2 runs and ultimately the game.
Since joining the team in 2018, Boone has had plenty of regular season success. The only problem is - who gives a damn about that when the Yankees mantra is World Series or bust?
2018 - Lost the ALDS
2019 - Lost the ALCS
2020 - Lost the ALDS
2021 - Lost the AL Wild Card
2022 - Lost the ALCS
2023 - Missed Playoffs
2024 - Lost the World Series
Will the 8th time be the charm for Boone? Yankees fans shall see.
One person that may not however, could be 4x All-Star Juan Soto, who was a pivotal component of the Yankees postseason run. Soto is testing free agency and expected to make upwards of $600+ million, with a number of teams vying for him.
But hey, at least we have Aaron Boone! (Said no one ever.)
YANKEES FANS - LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT AARON BOONE RETURNING TO THE TEAM. TWEET ME: @TheGunzShow