Chisholm, Holmes, or Boone? Yankees fans ponder hypothetical ‘bum’ in close rubber game vs Rangers

In a high-stakes rubber game that had Yankees fans on the edge of their seats, what seemed like a comfortable lead quickly spiraled into a nerve-wracking near-collapse. The Yankees, up 6-1 in the seventh inning against the Rangers, saw their lead dwindle in a series of unfortunate events, leaving the Bronx faithful pondering the hypothetical question: Who would have been the bum if the Yankees had blown this one? With the offense firing on all cylinders—thanks to Juan Soto’s two homers, Aaron Judge’s solo shot, and Giancarlo Stanton’s blast—it was a game the Yankees should have cruised through. Yet, a late-game scare brought the spotlight onto three potential scapegoats: Jazz Chisholm, Clay Holmes, and manager Aaron Boone.

Yankees hypothetical ‘bum’ of the game

Twitter, as always, was alive with discussion as Yankees fans dissected the game’s harrowing moments. With a 6-1 lead heading into the seventh inning, the Yankees were in command, but the game quickly turned tense after a critical error by Jazz Chisholm. Playing in just his 12th game at third base for the Yankees, Chisholm misjudged a routine play, allowing two runs to score and cutting the Yankees’ lead to 6-3. While some fans were quick to defend Chisholm—citing his inexperience at the position—others were less forgiving.

User @PrimeJynx_ quipped, “Jazz wants the Rangers to win lol,” while @uɐɥʇƎ noted, “Jazz single-handedly losing games by himself on defense.” The criticism wasn’t universal, though, with @Keith O 🏒⚾️ 🏈🐕 conceding, “Bound to happen as he learns position, no complaints just win,” and @David C adding, “He’s been awesome at 3rd! Every player makes errors…”

But Jazz’s error was only the beginning. Mark Leiter Jr., entrusted with preserving the lead, was anything but reliable. The newly acquired reliever had won fans over with his starting few appearances with the Yanks, but last night changed their perception. Maybe he’s not as reliable as the Yankees faithful believed. He gave up three runs on two home runs, flipping the game on its head and allowing the Rangers to tie it up 6-6. Leiter’s performance was met with widespread disapproval on Twitter. @mikescudiero summarized the sentiment, “Badly. Not even really sure why he was used in the first place up by 5 and having been used a lot lately.” His remark was echoed by @BWelch1943, who lamented, “The brass refuses to accept that a more dependable closer is priority number one.”

As the Rangers pulled even, the pressure mounted on Clay Holmes to hold the line. Holmes entered in the eighth with four outs to bag a save, but the ninth inning saw him on the brink of disaster. After dispatching Marcus Semien and Josh Jung with relative ease, Holmes allowed Wyatt Langford to draw a walk and steal second base. Nathaniel Lowe followed with another walk, putting runners on the corners. Then, Adolis García singled, making it an 8-7 game. With García stealing second and Holmes’ pitch count climbing, the decision not to pull him came under scrutiny. Fans erupted online as they questioned Boone’s call to leave Holmes in the game. @NYYankeegal16 didn’t mince words, “Holmes-? Our idiot clueless manager left him in there!” while @Rich🟦 claimed, “Seems like he would rather lose a game than risk offending a veteran player.”

The tension was palpable, but Holmes managed to escape, thanks to Gleyber Torres barely completing the final out. Torres’ shaky play didn’t go unnoticed either. @RandyinPO expressed the collective relief, “That was way too close. Close to the newest worse loss of the year.” And @YanksBar voiced the frustration felt by many, “He was left in for way too many pitches. Not his fault he was gassed.”

While Jazz Chisholm and Clay Holmes took the brunt of the fan criticism, Aaron Boone’s decision-making came under the harshest scrutiny. As the Yankees held a five-run lead going into the final innings, many questioned why Boone would risk using Mark Leiter Jr., who had been heavily relied on in recent games. “Boone just sticks with a broken formula over & over & over again,” lamented @05Spits, echoing the frustration of fans who feel the manager’s decisions are often too rigid.

Holmes, once the Yankees’ rock in the bullpen, has seen his reliability wane, and Boone’s refusal to pull him in a high-leverage situation was a gamble that nearly cost the Yankees the game.

@AnthonyVan83137 pointed out, “In no way is he elevating the team. They would be much better with a game to game manager and not a computer analytical guy.” This sentiment was shared by @JV, who remarked, “Cmon you have a 5 run lead with 2 innings left, how about quit blaming Boone every time and start putting some blame on the pitchers whose jobs it is to keep the runs off the board… it doesn’t matter who he outs out there lately they are blowing it.”

The night ended with a Yankees victory, but the debate over who would have been the bum of the game had things gone south continues to rage on. Whether it was Jazz’s crucial error, Leiter’s meltdown, or Boone’s questionable bullpen management, the Yankees dodged a bullet in this one. As the team eyes the postseason, these late-game struggles will need to be addressed if they hope to make a deep run in October.

In the end, the Yankees held on to win 8-7, but fans were left with more questions than answers. Was this a sign of a resilient team finding ways to win, or a warning of potential disaster looming in high-pressure situations? As the postseason approaches, the Yankees will need to tighten up these loose ends if they hope to avoid the hypothetical bum becoming a reality in a game that truly matters. What do you think? Leave your comment below!