The New York Yankees have less than 15 games left to secure a spot in the American League playoff picture. Aaron Boone has dealt with injuries and drama surrounding his team. However, that has not stopped the manager from planning for his future. Amid a playoff race against the Boston Red Sox and others, he is thinking about how to utilize Max Fried and Carlos Rodon.
As the standings sit heading into Tuesday night’s action, the Yankees sit as the top AL Wild Card team. There is a chance that New York could catch the Toronto Blue Jays for the top spot in the AL East. However, a Wild Card series appears set in its future.
Because of that, Boone has to start planning for what that will do to his pitching staff. In order to win, he might be willing to sacrifice games.
The Yankees’ starting rotation has been without Gerrit Cole all season thanks to injury. However, Fried and Rodon have stepped into his shoes and performed well in his absence. They are the likely suspects when it comes to picking who will pitch in Game 1 of a playoff series for Boone. He spoke to Talkin’ Yanks about his strategy heading into the playoffs, valuing pitching over venue.
Aaron Boone agrees that it’s important to save a pitcher for Game 1 instead of using them to secure home-field advantage pic.twitter.com/yGZxtgjUd9
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“As much as obviously you want to be at home, you’re not going to throw Max into a game that isn’t deciding whether or not you’re in the playoffs or not for a home field situation,” Boone said.
The Yankees could draw a number of different opponents in a potential Wild Card series. One of them is the Red Sox, who used a vintage performance from Aroldis Chapman to win their series finale. At this point, Boone wants Fried and Rodon ready to kick off the postseason with two strong pitching performances.
