For years, New York Yankees fans have been calling for Aaron Boone’s dismissal, and it’s easy to see why. While Boone isn’t solely to blame for the team’s failure to succeed in the postseason, this is his seventh season as manager, and it feels like little has changed. Despite the Yankees’ talent, they seem destined to underperform in October, as evidenced by their recent loss in Williamsport.
Marcus Stroman had a standout performance, delivering his first quality start in nearly two months by keeping the Detroit Tigers scoreless for six innings and outpitching AL Cy Young frontrunner Tarik Skubal. Luke Weaver and Tommy Kahnle continued the strong performance through the seventh and eighth innings, allowing the Yankees to maintain a slim 1-0 lead heading into the ninth.
Instead of trying a new approach, Boone opted to stick with his struggling closer, Clay Holmes, who ultimately gave up the game-tying run to the Tigers. The Yankees lost the game in extra innings, and Holmes’ blown save was his tenth of the season, the most in the majors. Despite this, Boone remains committed to using Holmes as the team’s closer.
Aaron Boone on Clay Holmes and if he'll remain the #Yankees' closer:
"Yeah. Look, we'll see as we go. We have a lot of really good options. Clay has had some tough breaks back there that's led to [10 blown saves] … The reality is he's throwing the ball really well. That said,… https://t.co/gH3GvPRGe2
— Max Goodman (@MaxTGoodman) August 19, 2024
Aaron Boone should have company on Yankees hot seat
For the first two and a half months of the season, Clay Holmes could have been considered one of the top closers in baseball. He allowed just four earned runs in his initial 30 appearances and 29.1 innings, with all four runs coming in a single game. However, his performance has deteriorated since then. Over his last 21 outings, Holmes has posted a 5.23 ERA and has blown exactly half of his 14 save opportunities.
Boone’s view of Holmes has some merit. Holmes has faced some unfortunate situations, as evidenced by his 2.82 FIP and .382 BABIP during those 21 games. Despite the circumstances, hitters seem to consistently find success against him. Nonetheless, a change is needed; Holmes’ performance in the ninth inning hasn’t been effective.
Boone claims the Yankees have several “really good options.” If that’s the case, why not explore them? Give them a chance, and if they don’t work out, Holmes can be reintroduced later.
Just last week, the Yankees used Jake Cousins—a reliever with a 2.10 ERA—in a save situation when Holmes was unavailable, and he secured a hitless ninth inning. Tommy Kahnle, with a 1.74 ERA this season, has been reliable throughout his tenure with the Yankees. Shouldn’t he get a chance? Even Luke Weaver has performed well in late-game situations this season.
Although it’s not ideal for Holmes, especially in a contract year, the Yankees need to experiment with other options in high-leverage situations. The current approach hasn’t been working for months. If there are truly better alternatives, Holmes should be given a lower-leverage role to address his issues, and Boone should consider these other options. Persisting with a struggling reliever, when other solutions are available, will only increase Boone’s job pressure.
Leave a Reply