NEW YORK — On Thursday evening, Yankees manager Aaron Boone made his first public comments since his team was embarrassed by the Houston Astros and swept out of the postseason.
Appearing on Yankee broadcaster Michael Kay’s radio show, Boone was asked a wide range of questions. He will also speak to a much bigger group of reporters on Friday, along with general manager Brian Cashman, but his warmup statements about his team’s failure to hit playoff pitching were an interesting way to open the offseason.
“I think that’s frankly been a little bit overblown,” Boone said of the Bombers’ bats going limp. “If you go back to some of the series we’ve had, we have swung the bats, especially against some really good pitching opponents.”
Boone called this time of year — when there are still teams competing for the World Series he so desperately craves — “the most brutal time for all of us.” He also reiterated that the Astros are setting the standard right now in the American League.
“Obviously, Houston was able to shut us down,” Boone said. “We knew going in that Houston was probably about as complete a pitching team as we’ve seen in these last several years, from a starting rotation standpoint to a bullpen standpoint.”
As far as bigger questions about the state of the franchise, which is growing more and more impatient with each championship-less year, Boone was asked directly if he hears the outside noise.
“I don’t hear it specifically. I haven’t seen anything,” he said. “I’m aware of it, but I haven’t seen any of it. I understand there’s frustration out there. People are upset. I understand that and respect that passion. It’s one of the great things of being a part of this organization.”
For someone who’s spent his entire life around Major League Baseball — and has shown a quick, fiery temper during his tenure as Yankee manager — it’s easy to imagine that criticism from people much less qualified than him would anger Boone. He insisted that he’s not mad about it.
“I don’t know about anger,” he began. “I know the game. I know what I’m doing. You know that [criticism] is coming with the territory. That’s the nature of it. You can get frustrated. But for the most part, you understand that you have a job to do.”
After last season ended with the Yankees getting ousted by the hated Red Sox in the wild-card game, there was no guarantee that Boone would continue having a job to do. His contract was up, and the front office’s decision to extend his contract was both slightly controversial among fans and a huge display of confidence in the skipper.
The fans’ desire to can Boone grew loud again this postseason. Against the Astros, they saw a team that did not at all resemble the mighty Yankees of October’s past. Boone fielded a question about fretting over the ever-present possibility of getting fired.
“Oh, I don’t know. You don’t really worry about job security. You understand that it comes with the territory,” he said.
Throughout his entire 35-minute interview, Boone made it abundantly clear that he believes the Yankees are not that far away. Whether those feelings are genuine or just another case of coach speak are up for debate, but his public-facing persona is one of perpetual optimism.
“We’ve done a lot of really good things, but ultimately, [the goal] is to win the ultimate prize,” Boone said. “To varying degrees, we’ve had teams that are very much in that mix. Anytime it ends, it’s a disappointment and it hurts a lot. We’re very much, as we head into the offseason, in the mix to be a championship contender next year.”
Pulling Cole
On the nitty gritty side, Boone discussed several individual players and the seasons they had. He said that he doubts anyone will see another season like Aaron Judge’s and, unsurprisingly, said he’d love to have both Judge and Anthony Rizzo back next year. Cashman’s comments about that on Friday afternoon will be much more telling.
He also addressed his decision to yank Gerrit Cole in Game 3 of the ALCS with the bases loaded, the Yankees down two runs, and the season hanging in the balance.
“I know taking Gerrit out was a big thing amongst people, from what I understand,” Boone said. “That’s one where I feel like I maybe should have stayed with Gerrit and go for the strikeout, then maybe go to the pen for the groundball you’re looking for.”
There has not been a conversation between Boone and Cole about why he chose to take him out.
Left side of the infield
For the second straight year, the Yankees enter the offseason with a major question mark at shortstop. Boone was incredibly loyal to Isiah Kiner-Falefa for most of the season, but when the shortstop’s problems became unavoidable in the playoffs, he was benched for rookie Oswald Peraza. Boone was asked if he thinks Kiner-Falefa can come back next year and be the definitive starter.
“He can be. We got a lot of guys knocking on the door.
“Of course, you never know what’s going to happen. Are there trades or free agent pickups that change the landscape a little bit? I certainly feel like Kiner-Falefa is capable of being an everyday shortstop, but there’s certainly going to be competition for that heading into spring training.”
Pressed about Josh Donaldson, the lightning rod for fan’s hatred during his miserable postseason, Boone said as we sit here today, the soon-to-be 37-year old is “absolutely” their starting third baseman.
The mental skills boost
Prior to ALCS Game 4, which turned out to be the last game of their season, Boone made two curious choices.
The first was to show his team highlights of the 2004 Yankees blowing a 3-0 lead to the Red Sox. The point was to motivate his guys and show them that they weren’t dead yet, even though the team in the highlights were beating up on the literal Yankees. The second odd decision was to tell the media this, as it immediately became a huge story and made Boone an easy target.
“We grab from all different sports and walks of life frankly,” Boone said of his mental skills team. “We pick from different things that we think will be impactful for our players. I think the point was, ‘Win a game.’ Let’s just win a game and keep moving forward. This is something that, yeah, is really difficult, but it’s not insurmountable. It has been done before.”
Spoiler alert: the Yankees could not surmount their 0-3 deficit.
