–
Last season, it was the Dodgers’ Dave Roberts who needed to win if he didn’t want to lose his job. Or at least that’s what we heard. They told us that even though Roberts had gone to the World Series in two of the previous three seasons and had lost in the 2019 Division Series against the Nationals after winning 106 games in the regular round. No matter how good a manager Roberts was – and I think he’s a great manager – his team still didn’t win the World Series. Until he finally won it.
Now we’re hearing the same from Aaron Boone, who is preparing for his fourth season at the helm of the Yankees, where the pressure is greater than in Los Angeles. They disagree? The man before Boone, Joe Girardi, led his team to Game 7 of the American League Championship Series in 2017 and lost his job. The Yankees were up three games to two against the Astros, but they scored just one run during the last two games at Minute Maid Park. And the one who ended up paying the price was Girardi.
Boone, the 2003 SCLA Game 7 hero with his golden home run for the Yankees, later replaced Girardi and quickly became the first manager in franchise history to win 100 games in each of his first two. campaigns, says Mike Lupica’s report in MLB.com.
By the way, Boone’s record in the regular season right now is 236-148. Roberts’s for the same period is 241-144. But Roberts’ Great Blue Machine finally completed the task against the Rays. As a manager, Boone has yet to reach the World Series, which would be the first for the Yankees since 2009.
In 2018, the Yankees encountered the best Red Sox in history, a club that had just won 108 games in the regular season. The SDLA was tied 1-1 and the action had moved to Yankee Stadium. Boone’s ace, Luis Severino, allowed seven runs and six hits in three innings in Game 3. Boone was criticized for leaving Severino too long on a night in which the three relievers who followed him allowed another 10 streaks in. that beating 16-1.
The Yankees lost the following night 4-3 after allowing Patirrojos closer Craig Kimbrel to come out of a jam with a packed house at the end of the ninth. Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, New York’s two great bats, combined to go 7-0 that night.
In 2019, New York lost the decisive Game 6 of the SCLA to the Astros due to a golden home run by Venezuelan José Altuve against Cuban Aroldis Chapman. Of course, then there were those who said – because of what was learned about the Astros’ sign stealing system – that Altuve knew what pitch was coming. Maybe he did. But New York lost their best pitcher on the mound anyway.
Then came October 2020 and ALDS Game 5 against the Yankees, when Mike Brosseau homered in the eighth inning off Chapman that ended up deciding the game. Once again, Boone was losing to his best pitcher on the mound. Once again, the Yankees weren’t making it to the World Series. Now, they are as favorite as the best to succeed in 2021, a super power despite all the injuries over the past two seasons, despite all the questions about their bullpen and the fact that they expect great things from four starters – Severino, Corey Kluber, Domingo Germán and Jameson Taillon – who combined to throw a single inning last season.
If New York doesn’t finally win another ring like the Dodgers did, is that somehow Boone’s fault? In what universe could someone think of such a thing? In the Yankee Universe.
–
