Immediately after the New York Yankees dropped Game 1 of their Wild Card series against the Boston Red Sox, fans placed all the blame on Aaron Boone’s shoulders.
All-Star pitcher Max Fried was exceptional for the Yankees. He gave them 6.1 innings of scoreless baseball. Fried was replaced by Luke Weaver, who quickly surrendered two runs in the top of the seventh inning. The Red Sox grabbed an insurance run off David Bednar in the top of the ninth inning.
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The Yankees had a chance to steal Game 1 in the bottom of the ninth inning since they had the bases loaded with no outs. However, Giancarlo Stanton, Jazz Chisholm and Trent Grisham failed to get the job done.
As soon as Aroldis Chapman recorded the final out for the Red Sox, countless Yankees fans expressed their disgust over how Boone managed the bullpen.
Los Angeles, CA – October 25: Manager Aaron Boone of the New York Yankees prior to game 1 of a World Series baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Friday, October 25, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images/Getty Images
Did Boone pull Fried too early?
Fried threw 102 pitches prior to being taken out of the game. While we understand why Boone wanted to replace his ace, he clearly made the wrong decision by trusting Weaver.
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“It was good season ..we absolutely needed this game and we had it til Boone was thinking of saving Fried for next series but next series will be opening day next year,” a Yankees fan said. “Fire Boone!”
“The Yankees under their Awful Manager Aaron Boone, would be the team that has the bases loaded with no outs, and not score,” a second fan said. “Aaron Boone F’d The Yankees again, pulling Max Fried for Luke Weaver who immediately gave the Red Sox the lead Fire Aaron Boone!”
“Taking out fried mid inning was so dumb. PLS FOR THE LOVE OF GOD FIRE BOONE IDC IF WE MAKE IT TO THE WORLD SERIES AGAIN. FIRE HIM,” another fan wrote on X.
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Boone defends his decision.
Despite facing a ton of criticism this Tuesday night, Boone made it clear that he doesn’t regret pulling Fried for Weaver.
“I wanted him to go out and get Duran and felt like we were lined up,” Boone told reporters.
The Yankees need to win Game 2 on Wednesday night to keep their season alive. They’ll rely on Carlos Rodon, who had a 3.09 ERA during the regular season.
“We’ve been playing with a lot on the line seemingly every single day. We’ll be ready to go and I expect us to come out and get one tomorrow,” Boone said.
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First pitch for Game 2 between the Red Sox and Yankees is set for 6 p.m. ET.
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Oct 1, 2025, where it first appeared in the MLB section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.