Michael Kay blasts Aaron Boones Yankees…
Aaron Boone’s determination to pull Max Fried before the seventh inning is one of the explanations the Yankees’ season is on the brink.
Now, the Yankees’ play-by-play announcer is questioning the supervisor’s rationalization for why he pulled his ace at 102 pitches in a 3-1 loss in Game 1 of the wild-card spherical to the Red Sox.
Boone said after the sport that he had initially deliberate to take Fried out after six innings, but after inducing a double play in that body, the skipper said he wished the lefty to face Jarren Duran — a left-handed hitter — in the seventh before exiting. Boone added that Fried didn’t ask to be pulled, but quite that he appreciated how Luke Weaver matched up against Boston’s order — which was sending up the eighth, ninth and leadoff hitters.
Three batters later, the Red Sox had the lead after a stroll, double and two-run single.
After watching Boone’s feedback, Michael Kay — who admitted he was initially OK with Boone’s determination — said on YES Network’s postgame show that he didn’t buy into the reason.
Max Fried was eliminated the gamewith one out in the seventh inning of the Yankees’ 3-1 loss to the Red Sox in Game 1 or their AL wild-card sequence on Sept. 30, 2025. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
“When I walked into the studio, I was all for the decision,” Kay said. “You don’t put your guy to where he can’t go, and he hasn’t gone that far all year. But when you hear Aaron Boone say, you know, after he came in in the sixth inning, just give me one more batter. Well, why? It’s the eighth and ninth batters in the lineup. This is your ace. This is the guy you gave an eight-year contract to. That’s why you give the guy the money to be that person.”
Michael Kay during Old Timers’ Day on Aug. 24, 2024 at Yankee Stadium. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Kay said the choice, after listening to Boone’s feedback, sounded prefer it was a “blueprint move.”
“To me, that sounds like a blueprint move. That’s not the time for Weaver,” Kay said. “That’s the time to keep in Fried. You keep Fried in until Fried can’t go any longer.”
On the flip aspect, Red Sox supervisor Alex Cora caught with ace Garrett Crochet for a season-high 117 pitches to get through 7 2/3 innings.
The Yankees are now one loss in the wild-card spherical away from seeing their season end.
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