Yankees: It’s time to show some support to Aaron Boone

The popular narrative surrounding Yankees manager Aaron Boone’s inaugural season is that he has been overmatched, leading to a number of fans wishing Joe Girardi was still in pinstripes.

However, despite some of his questionable calls throughout the season, he has mostly been making the right moves ever since the Yankees embarked on their dominant streak during their toughest stretch of the season. Some fans might be slow to give him any credit, but Boone’s presence has already made a positive impact on the Yankees offense and in the clubhouse.

Yes, he hasn’t been perfect, showing there is indeed a learning curve for new managers when it comes to in-game maneuvering. He has seemed to improve in this department since some early-season blunders, but he definitely has a ways to go before he’s a tactical maestro.

But let’s face it… when you’re a manager, especially of the New York Yankees, all of your moves will be scrutinized. That is unless they work out, but we will never hear about that.

Do I wish he would send out Dellin Betances for a second inning against the Red Sox? Of course not, but us fans are geared to be short-sighted. The Yankees bullpen would be scary with a dominant Betances, and the only way to get him back to form is for him to have success in these sort of high-leverage situations.

Boone made a calculated gamble with a tired bullpen to try to get one of his relievers back on track, and he was a few inches away from being the smart guy if the ball had only landed in Aaron Judge’s glove or if it was hit in any other stadium besides the Bronx. I’m not saying I would make the same move, but it’s far from an indefensible error.