Aaron Boone speaks out about Rafael Devers.
Just when it appeared that the New York Yankees were on the rise again after ending a four-game losing streak with a spectacular 14-4 home triumph over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday, they were humbled immediately away when they suffered a 3-0 loss to their biggest rivals Sunday night.
The Yankees’ defeat in the series finale can be summarized in two words: Rafael Devers. During Boston’s victory, the Red Sox’s top third baseman finished 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. He smacked two home runs, one in the seventh and the other in the ninth, for insurance. Overall, the Red Sox scored all of their runs in the game on solo home runs, which is bad news for New York’s overall fielding and independent pitching statistics.
During the postgame news conference, Yankees manager Aaron Boone was asked about his team’s difficulty silencing Devers’ tremendous bat and whether New York could have done anything differently to silence the three-time All-Star.
“Believe me, we dive deeply into that. But, certainly, sometimes it’s the right time and place for a guy to come in strong. “He’s a great player,” Boone stated.
Sometimes we view it from the opposite side. You know, with a few of our men. We spend a lot of time figuring out where to obtain them, and he’s upset with us.
Aaron Boone says the Yankees have "invested a lot" looking into how to get Rafael Devers out:
"He's a great player…we'd like to do a better job against him" pic.twitter.com/pmag5dwvSU
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 8, 2024
There was also a question in the press conference about whether Boone and the Yankees considered simply walking Devers, but Boone dismissed that idea.
Boone, on the other hand, confessed that the Yankees discussed replacing Luis Gil in the seventh inning with Luke Weaver, which they eventually did and paid for nearly immediately when Ceddanne Rafaela homered off the right-handed reliever.
The Yankees might also have simply presented Gil and their pitchers in that game with a plentiful supply of runs. Instead, Aaron Judge and company were unable to replicate the magic they displayed at the plate during the second leg of the series. Ben Rice and Juan Soto, the top two players in the order, went 1-for-8 with two strikeouts and zero walks. The judge went hitless in four at-bats. The Yankees went 0-for-4 with at least one runner on base.
The Yankees, at 55-37 after dropping 10 of their previous 13 games, will look to turn things around when they begin a three-game series down south against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Tuesday.
Fans react to Aaron Boone’s Rafael Devers talk after Yankees loss
“Just walk the guy,” suggested a user on X (previously Twitter).
“It’s not rocket science. WALK HIM. “Get fired, you clown,” wrote @joestheticss.
“Simply Boone.
Simple Boone just simple Boone. pic.twitter.com/O5WuTnwcuv
— Wilson Lopez 🇵🇷 (@willNYYanks) July 8, 2024
“Devers has been dominating us for the past 3-4 years, let’s just say, and you can’t find out how to get him out? “What a joke 😂,” said @PG_Vlogs245.
From @pt5PastLightspd: “Up and inside. If he walks, it will be an awkward at-bat. Mix in the odd hip-high/mid-thigh heater, around 4 inches off the plate. He’ll either move or be hit; if he’s hit, his jog will terminate at first base. Is there anything else you guys need help with?”
“It isn’t that hard; just walk him. JESUS CHRIST, IT’S THAT SIMPLE,” a visibly enraged @TheBestFanInUSA responded.
