Yankees' Manager Aaron Boone Regrets Decision Regarding Luis Severino, Bullpen Against Red Sox

Aaron Boone received a lot of the blame for the New York Yankees’ loss to the Boston Red Sox in the 2018 ALDS. The manager allowed his starting pitchers to stay in Game 3 and Game 4 longer than they should have, ultimately costing the team a chance to return to Fenway Park for a deciding Game 5.

With the series tied 1-1, Luis Severino allowed six runs in three innings in New York’s 16-1 Game 3 defeat at Yankee Stadium. Boone allowed the right-hander to start the fourth inning, even though he hadn’t looked sharp all night. Severino gave up two straight singles and a walk before being replaced by Lance Lynn, who went on to be charged with three earned runs and let the game get out of hand.

“The Sevy one, after the third inning is the one I look back on that I should’ve had him out of there because I sensed that he wasn’t on top of his game,” Boone told reporters at a press conference Friday afternoon. “I felt like they were having a lot of good swings against him and I probably got a little greedy thinking he could get through the bottom of the order there in the fourth.”

Severino pitched well in the AL Wild-Card Game against the Oakland Athletics, though he only went four innings. Boone pulled him when he allowed two batters to reach base in the fifth inning, and Dellin Betances recorded three straight outs so the Yankees could maintain their 2-0 lead. New York went on to win 7-3 to earn a spot in the ALDS against Boston.

Boone didn’t express the same regret when it came to leaving C.C. Sabathia in during the team’s Game 4 loss. After pitching two scoreless innings, the left-hander allowed three runs in the third inning. Sabathia led off the inning by hitting Andrew Benintendi with a pitch and giving up a single to Steve Pearce. Ian Kinsler and Eduardo Nunez recorded two-out RBI hits before Sabathia got a ground out to end the inning on his final pitch of the night.

Zach Britton relieved Sabathia to start the fourth inning of Game 4. Yankee relievers allowed one run over the final six innings in New York’s 4-3 loss.

New York’s bullpen was its strength, and the top relievers were nearly perfect in five playoff games. David Robertson, Aroldis Chapman, Dellin Betances and Chad Green combined for a 1.15 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 15.2 playoff innings.

The Yankees’ trade-deadline acquisitions came up short in the playoffs. Britton surrendered three runs in five playoff innings, including a home run in Game 4 that became the deciding run. J.A. Happ didn’t make it out of the third inning of the series opener in Boston, and the bullpen combined to toss six scoreless innings in New York’s 5-4 Game 1 loss.

Sabathia, Happ and Britton are all set to hit free agency this offseason.

Boone went 100-62 in his first season as the Yankees' manager. New York decided not to bring back Joe Girardi last year after he took the team to Game 7 of the 2017 ALCS.