Aaron Boone

Akshita Patel

Aaron Boone Takes The Blame For The Guardians’ Shocking Defeat, Justifies His Move To Pull Out Domingo German In The Ninth

New York Yankees faced Cleveland Guardians for the series opener at their home turf, the Yankee Stadium. What looked like the new dawn of the new week quickly turned into a nightmare for the Yankees, especially for the skipper, Aaron Boone. Anthony Rizzo and Jose Trevino provided the team with an early lead of 2-0 at the bottom of the third inning, which they managed to hold until the final inning of the game, as things went haywire shortly after.

Domingo German, the New York Yankees starter for the game, was removed in the ninth inning by Aaron Boone, and the skipper handed over the ball to reliever Clay Holmes to wrap up the game. There began a series of misjudgments and errors which eventually led to one of the most shocking and embarrassing losses of the season for the Yankees. Meanwhile, after the game, the skipper issued clarification for his hideous move and also took accountability.

   

Aaron Boone, The Skipper’s Move Backfires As Yankees Lose Out To Guardians

Aaron Boone
New York Yankees starting pitcher Domingo German (0) hands the ball to manager Aaron Boone. / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Domingo German started for the New York Yankees on Monday and pitched near-perfect 8.1 innings, wherein he allowed just two hits and a single run in as many as 88 pitches. He looked poised to close the game and end the team’s long losing streak. However, skipper Aaron Boone had other plans. In a shocking turn of events, Boone walked up to the mound in the ninth inning and pulled German out. The pitcher, who gave away seven runs in his previous outing, went out with a standing ovation this time around. However, Boone’s decision diminished German’s efforts as the reliever Clay Holmes blew up the setup. A fielding error and poor pitches prompted the Guardians to cover all the bases. While the skipper called up Wandy Peralta for damage control, but all in vain, as he allowed a free walk that earned them three runs.

Certainly, Aaron Boone faced a lot of heat for his decision. The skipper addressed the issue after the game and took the blame. He said the loss was brutal, and some of it fell on him. He further explained his tactics and said he thought removing Domingo German was the right move at the time as he did not think the pitcher would be able to close the game. Moreover, German’s velocity of the fastballs had already started to drop, and he wasn’t sure if German would be able to hold the Guardians’ top hitter, Amed Rosario. Hence, a chain of multiple thoughts and reasoning prompted the skipper to pull out Domingo German. He surely did not anticipate it to backfire this badly. Nevertheless, at the end of the long day, the Yankees lost and put another series in jeopardy.

Domingo German Won’t Second Guess The Manager’s Decision

Domingo German
Domingo German received a standing ovation from fans when he exited in the ninth inning. Robert Sabo for the NY Post

Yankees starter for Monday, Domingo German, felt gutted after losing the opportunity to close the game for the team. The pitcher was replaced after 8.2 innings. The decision to pull him out severely backfired on the Yankees as they dropped the game in just a matter of few pitches. However, German, who saw his efforts getting washed away in dismay from the dugout, says he won’t second guess the team manager, Aaron Boone.

Aaron Boone was the one to blame for the loss as he made the decision to pull out the pitcher. But German maintained his silence on the whole uproar and refused to speak against the skipper. The Yankees now have to win the game on Tuesday to stay alive in the series. If they fail, the Yankees could mark the fourth consecutive series loss of the season.