NEW YORK — The Yankees entered October with a roster that looked nothing like the one Aaron Boone expected in spring training. Injuries removed stars for long stretches, forced rotation changes and pushed young players into assignments usually held by established veterans. By the postseason, Boone was still juggling an unsettled lineup, a deep pitching staff and decisions that could change by the inning.
Then the Yankees made the first round look almost simple. They beat the Red Sox 9-0 in Game 1 and 9-2 in Game 2 at Yankee Stadium, completing a two-game sweep with an 18-2 scoring margin. Cam Schlittler beat Payton Tolle in the opener after striking out 10 over 6 1/3 scoreless innings. Max Fried beat Sonny Gray on Wednesday with six innings of one-run ball. Neither game produced a save.
The sweep did more than eliminate Boston. It showed the version of the Yankees Boone had spent months trying to assemble through injuries, promotions and role changes. Rookies George Lombard Jr. and Spencer Jones played meaningful October innings. The rotation carried the series. The lineup punished Boston late in both games.
New York now advances to the ALDS against the Rays, who won the AL East by 4 1/2 games and took seven of 13 regular-season meetings from the Yankees. Game 1 is Saturday at Tropicana Field. Boone has Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon under consideration for the opener, with Schlittler positioned for Game 2 and potentially Game 5.
Aaron Judge is also trying to return from a calf injury after being left off the Wild Card roster. The Yankees finished 93-68 with a plus-138 run differential, giving Boone a deep but unusually fluid group for the next round. That path remained uneven because injuries repeatedly changed Boone’s available personnel.
Minaya calls it Boone’s best Yankees season
After the sweep, one of the Yankees’ most experienced executives put the season in unusually direct terms. Omar Minaya, the club’s senior advisor to baseball operations, said Boone’s work through injuries and roster churn stood above the other seasons he has watched from inside the organization.
Minaya has been with the Yankees since 2023 and reports within Brian Cashman’s baseball operations group. He pointed to stars who missed time and the burden that placed on Boone to keep younger players ready.
Minaya said he had already delivered the assessment directly to Boone before the postseason began.
“This is the best year that I’ve seen Booney manage. And I’ve been here four years,” Minaya said.
His reasoning centered on the manager’s ability to maintain trust while roles changed. Minaya cited Judge, Stanton, Fried and Rodon among the injured players the Yankees had to work around during the season, then turned to the rookies now playing in October.
“Because Booney gives these guys confidence. And I think some people say he’s a player manager. Yeah, that’s good. I like player managers,” Minaya said.
Boone did not expect Boston to fold this quickly
The irony was that Boone did not expect the series to become so lopsided. Boston entered with a pitching staff the Yankees respected, and the rivalry gave New York little reason to expect two comfortable nights.
Asked after Game 2 whether the margins surprised him, Boone did not hesitate.
“Oh yeah, yes,” Boone said, “That was very satisfying to played that well in these two games… obviously we’re really going to enjoy that.”
Boone said Boston’s pitching made the matchup feel dangerous entering the series. What changed was the Yankees’ ability to string together patient at-bats and then punish mistakes late.
“That was very satisfying to play that well in these two games,” Boone said.
The Yankees scored seven of their nine runs in Game 1 after the sixth inning, then erupted for six in the sixth inning of Game 2. That made the sweep look easier on the scoreboard than it felt while Boone was managing through the early innings.
The starters gave Boone a 0.73 ERA foundation
The clearest numerical explanation for Boone’s clean two-game path came from the rotation. Cam Schlittler and Fried combined for 12 1/3 innings, allowed one earned run and struck out 16. That works out to a 0.73 ERA from the two Yankees starters in the series.
That dominance gave Boone room to stay patient with the lineup and avoid overexposing the bullpen. It also preserved Cole and Rodón for the next round.
The offense supplied another validation. Boone spent much of the season asking a changing lineup to control the strike zone, accept role changes and create runs in more than one way. Against Boston, the Yankees homered, bunted, stole bases and exploited mistakes.
Boone said the formula is portable if the Yankees can repeat it.
“We play like that, we’ve got a chance to beat anybody,” Boone said.
Tampa Bay gives Boone a harder second test
The praise does not settle the larger October question. The Yankees finished 4 1/2 games behind Tampa Bay in the AL East, and the Rays won the season series 7-6.
Cole or Rodón must be chosen for Game 1. Judge’s possible activation could reshape the lineup and roster. The Yankees also have to decide how aggressively to keep using the young players who helped them through Boston.
Minaya’s assessment came before the postseason was finished. That matters because Boone’s best work, in the executive’s view, was built on managing instability rather than avoiding it.
Boston provided the first October proof that the approach could hold under pressure. Tampa Bay now gets the next chance to test it.
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