The New York Yankees endured one of their most frustrating losses of the 2025 season at Fenway Park on Friday night when they fell 2-1 in extras against the Boston Red Sox. Aaron Judge tied the game in the top of the ninth with a solo homer and then the Yankees botched their chance in the top of the 10th.

But as Aaron Boone made very clear, the Yankees got no help from the horrid umpiring crew, who decided to be inconsistent when the game mattered most. One of their calls — DJ LeMahieu’s hit down the line that was ruled foul but was fair — was what got Boone ejected after he rightfully erupted.

The umpiring crew, just a few plays later, ruled Anthony Volpe safe on a stolen base attempt. The play was challenged and overturned. It was a close one. It was easy to see how he was ruled safe on the field, and it was easy to see how the replay determined the correct outcome.

Shouldn’t that have been the same for the LeMahieu hit? He ripped a ball down the first base line that was incredibly difficult to make the correct call on as the play unfolded. But upon review, it was rather easy. The ball hit the line. It was evident on the replay. But it was determined there wasn’t sufficient evidence to overturn the call.

Great, then, so Volpe should’ve been safe by that logic. Boone was not happy in the postgame, and he blasted the replay system and got testy with a reporter in hilarious fashion.

And then LeMahieu was ejected for saying “brutal call” to the umpire at first base. What an absolute joke. Home field advantage couldn’t have been more obvious here.

In the end, the Yankees put themselves in a position to be beholden to the umpires’ incompetence, which is something fans frequently cannot stomach. They only had five baserunners all night. Anthony Volpe attempting to steal third base with zero outs in the 10th was a deranged decision, no matter what anybody says. He’s already in scoring position, there was no need to jeopardize their situation. This team is still putrid in extra inning games on the road.

In the end, though, the umpires and MLB’s replay review system cannot fail the game in a high-profile rivalry matchup in extra innings. The Yankees battled and got that far in a game that featured Garrett Crochet vs Ryan Yarbrough. For the manner in which they held their own and staged a late comeback, though, they deserved to win. And there’s nothing wrong with trying to hold the shot callers responsible for their poor judgment.

All we can ask for is a fiery response on the field Saturday evening. The Yankees can’t lose the series before the rubber match on Sunday, especially after what transpired in the opener.