The New York Yankees held a 2-1 lead midway through the seventh inning in Game 1 of the World Series before bullpen troubles unraveled their advantage, ultimately leading to a 6-3 loss Friday night. Manager Aaron Boone’s decision-making, particularly in his handling of the pitching staff, quickly drew scrutiny from Yankees legends Derek Jeter and Joe Girardi.
What happened
New York had pulled ace Gerrit Cole after just 88 pitches, opting to go with Clay Holmes, who immediately encountered difficulties. Boone then turned to Tommy Kahnle, who narrowly escaped a two-out jam with runners on second and third. Kahnle began the eighth inning but allowed a one-out double, compounded by a fielding error from Gleyber Torres, which advanced Shohei Ohtani to third. Ohtani soon scored on Mookie Betts’ sacrifice fly against closer Luke Weaver, whom Boone tasked with a five-out save. Despite Weaver’s effort to force extra innings, the Yankees’ bullpen adjustments left an impact.
Jeter disagrees Boone’s decision to pull Cole early
Derek Jeter, a five-time World Series champion, voiced his disapproval on the FOX postgame show, emphasizing the effect of Boone’s quick hook on Cole. He referenced the 2000 World Series when Mets’ pitcher Al Leiter threw 142 pitches in a bid to keep his team in the game. Jeter expressed frustration over Boone’s choice to pull Cole, who had been in command throughout the game.
“Gerrit Cole was dominating this game,” Jeter said. “And if you take him out after 88 pitches for I don’t know what reason, it’s a domino effect on not only this game tonight, but tomorrow’s game, and the rest of this series. I just think when you have someone that’s dealing like Gerrit Cole, you leave him out there as long as you can.”
Derek Jeter’s sentiments were echoed by former Yankees manager Joe Girardi, who led the team to its last championship in 2009. On the YES Network, Girardi speculated on Boone’s thought process, noting that Cole’s four-seamer had been effective early on but started to falter in later innings. “Through the first five innings, he had nine outs on his four-seamer,” Girardi noted, “but in the sixth and seventh, it was being hit hard. I think that’s why Aaron probably went to get him.”
In the tenth inning, Boone made another debated move, calling on Nestor Cortes Jr., who hadn’t appeared in over a month. With two runners on and Ohtani at the plate, Boone opted for Cortes instead of Tim Hill, a left-hander with a 1.59 ERA in the postseason. Though Cortes retired Ohtani, the Yankees walked Betts, setting up a lefty-on-lefty matchup with Freddie Freeman. Freeman capitalized, hitting a walk-off grand slam to give the Dodgers a 1-0 series lead.
Reflecting on the loss, Girardi commented on Boone’s choice to trust Cortes based on a simulated game performance earlier in the week, but suggested Hill may have been the sharper option. “Nestor just made a mistake,” Girardi said. “There’s no guarantee if you bring in Tim Hill that he’s gonna get it done, but obviously he’s been really good in the playoffs.”
The Yankees now look to rebound in Game 2, with Carlos Rodón facing Dodgers’ ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto before heading back to the Bronx.
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