Aaron Boone's third base decision backfired in Yankees' Game 2 debacle
The New York Yankees suffered a 5-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 2 of the postseason, marked by four defensive errors. Manager Aaron Boone's decision to keep struggling player Ryan McMahon in the lineup was criticized after McMahon committed an early error that set the tone for the defeat.
Why it matters
High-stakes postseason baseball games are often decided by defensive execution, and managerial lineup decisions are under intense scrutiny during playoff runs.
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Make New York Post a Preferred Source ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Aaron Boone kept the lineup intact from Game 1 — most notably keeping a struggling Ryan McMahon at third base — in part because he wanted “to prioritize the defense,” the Yankees manager said a couple of hours before Monday’s first pitch.
It took two pitches from Cam Schlittler for that decision to backfire.
McMahon made the first error , a drip that became a flood, in an embarrassing 5-2 loss in Game 2 to the Rays in which the Yankees defense was charged with four errors and probably should have been charged with more.
Access the Yankees beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in