NEW YORK — Aaron Boone found himself in familiar territory Friday night, managing a tight contest against the Los Angeles Dodgers reminiscent of a pivotal moment last October.
In Game 1 of the 2024 World Series, Boone lifted Gerrit Cole after six innings, 88 pitches, and one run allowed, sensing his ace was spent. On Friday, however, Cole had dominated through six scoreless frames on 90 pitches. Trusting his starter’s rhythm, Boone sent him back out for the seventh.
The move backfired immediately.
“That’s on me,” Boone said following the Yankees’ 2-1 defeat.
Cole issued a leadoff walk to Mookie Betts, the Dodgers’ first baserunner since the third inning. Boone emerged from the dugout and approached the mound, left-hander Brent Headrick warming in the bullpen, but ultimately retreated, leaving Cole to face left-handed slugger Max Muncy.
Cole jumped ahead 0-2, but Muncy battled back to even the count at 2-2. A hanging slider caught too much of the plate, and Muncy deposited it into the second deck in right field for a two-run home run.
MAX MUNCY, ICE COLE. pic.twitter.com/hsprLSiFuj
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 18, 2026
“I felt like he was competitive in the Mookie at-bat, and I felt like he had enough to get Max,” Boone explained. “He jumps out in front of him but then made a mistake. I had Headrick ready. That’s on me.”
The loss represented a missed opportunity to gain ground in the AL East, as the Tampa Bay Rays lost both ends of a doubleheader to the Boston Red Sox.
Even in retrospect, the decision to remove Cole after the Betts walk isn’t clear-cut; Muncy has hit left-handers better this season, and Cole had been masterful. Moreover, the inning might have ended differently had catcher Austin Wells challenged a borderline pitch that clipped the top of the zone for a potential strike three on an 0-2 count.
Wells told The Athletic he would have challenged more aggressively had the Yankees possessed two ABS challenges rather than one. Needing certainty for an overturn, Wells—unsure of the call given his setup and reception—also weighed the early stage of a 1-0 game. He held off, a decision he now regrets.
The Yankees’ aggression continued into the eighth inning, this time on the basepaths.
With one out and Trent Grisham on first, Ben Rice drove a double off the right-center field wall. Grisham, ranking in the 32nd percentile in sprint speed per Statcast, attempted to score from first.
Despite reaching his fifth-fastest sprint speed of the season, Grisham was cut down at the plate on a spectacular relay from Betts to catcher Dalton Rushing, who applied a deft tag on Grisham’s left foot.
ANDY. MOOKIE. DALTON. pic.twitter.com/4RVbtNFzn9
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 18, 2026
That sequence warrants scrutiny given the runner, the game state, and the upcoming batter.
Boone, however, defended third-base coach Luis Rojas’ decision to wave Grisham home.
“I thought Luis did a good job reading the throw, which sailed over the second baseman’s head,” Boone said. “Mookie was on the run making the play, and still made a strong throw. I don’t have an issue with taking a shot there.”
Grisham might have scored had he broken hard immediately; he only hit top gear upon reaching second base once he realized center fielder Andy Pages wasn’t catching the ball.
“I’m reading the play between first and second,” Grisham explained. “I thought Ben got it well. Once I saw the outfielders’ positioning, I knew it wasn’t getting caught.”
Rojas briefly flashed a stop sign before re-sending Grisham as he approached third. Boone explained Rojas was tracking the ball and saw Betts would need to throw on the run.
Statistically, holding Grisham at third was the higher-percentage play. With runners on second and third and one out, Paul Goldschmidt due up against lefty Alex Vesia, the Yankees’ win probability stood at 55.3%, per Statcast. The out at the plate plummeted it to 26.7%. So why the aggression?
“There are never guarantees,” Boone said. “I think he was holding him, then read the throw well. It’s a split-second decision. With one out, you sometimes have to push the envelope. With no outs, it’s different—you’re more conservative with this part of the order. They might bring in a righty or walk Goldy. I thought it was a decisive read: Mookie on the run, throwing off-balance. You hate to leave that run at third.”
History suggests the gamble was low-percentage. Entering Friday, Grisham had successfully taken the extra base just 23% of the time—145th out of 151 qualified players, per Stathead’s Katie Sharp. Since joining the Yankees in 2024, he had scored from first on a double only twice in 21 attempts.
Between the hesitation with Cole and the aggression with Grisham, the Yankees likely squandered a winnable game.
