Sports
Most New York Yankees supporters are accustomed to criticising manager Aaron Boone by this point. And he gave them even more incentive to do so during Tuesday night’s game against the Washington Nationals.
The Yankees managed to lose 4-2 even though they were playing one of the weakest pitchers in baseball, Patrick Corbin, and had Gerrit Cole on the mound. Boone provided some assistance to Washington when he made a dubious choice with the game in the balance.
New York was rallying in the top of the ninth, behind 4-2. With runners on first and second and only one out, the Yankees might potentially score some more runs in the period. But their No. 9 hitter, DJ LeMahieu, was up to bat against Kyle Finnegan of the Nationals, the closer.
LeMahieu, regrettably, has been among the league’s worst hitters this season. An extremely thin 36-year-old infielder started the game.199/.267/.257 batting line before committing an error and going 1-for-3.
Since Finnegan and LeMahieu are both right-handed, here is the ideal moment to bring up a pinch bat. After beginning a righty-heavy lineup to face the left-handed Corbin, Boone also had a number of left-handed options on his bench, including switch-hitter Oswaldo Cabrera, Trent Grisham, and Ben Rice, all of whom had considerably better numbers than LeMahieu.
It was completely unnecessary to allow DJ LeMahieu to perform there. What’s going on here, image.Twitter: https://lplniFxTz0
— August 28, 2024, Addison (@YankeeWRLD)
What then did Boone do in this dire circumstance? LeMahieu was left on his own by the captain against Washington’s All-Star closer.
LeMahieu failed to produce as a result, flying out to Dylan Crews, a rookie outfielder, in foul area for the second out. In addition, Gleyber Torres flew out to Crews, leaving Juan Soto on deck and Aaron Judge in the hole as he stranded the game’s final runners.
Despite being a former All-Star and batting champion, LeMahieu has had a very difficult 2024 season. Despite his -1.5 WAR this season, Boone continues to play him frequently.
Boone justified his choice after the game by claiming that Finnegan “handles lefties.” Nevertheless, before LeMahieu took the field, the Yankees’ lefties had gone 3-for-3 against Finnegan.
Perhaps the outcome of the game would have been different if Boone had sent up someone else to hit for LeMahieu. However, that never materialised, and New York’s desperate attempt to rally was blocked by its own dugout.
