Aaron Boone's Amed Rosario decision vindicates Yankees fans as former reliever collapses

It was shaping up to be a classic snoozefest on Tuesday night in the Bronx. The New York Yankees were trailing 3-1 against the Athletics and logged just four hits and four walks against Aaron Civale and Justin Sterner through seven innings. Turns out, the lack of timely hitting was carrying over from the weekend series against the Marlins, and the day off didn't help.

But then came the eighth inning when former Yankee Mark Leiter Jr. was called upon for the A's. Yankees fans know the Leiter Jr. Experience all too well, and they felt the reverse effect of it just moments later.

The right-hander gave up three straight singles to Cody Bellinger, Ben Rice and Giancarlo Stanton to make it a 3-2 game. After Jazz Chisholm Jr. flied out for the first out of the inning, Amed Rosario, who had ripped a solo homer earlier in the game to give the offense some life, stepped into the batter's box.

Rosario was manager Aaron Boone's bold lineup decision of the day. He got the start at third base over the struggling Ryan McMahon despite Civale (a right-hander) being on the mound. McMahon went 1-for-22 with 11 strikeouts after getting a hit in his first at-bat of the season on Opening Night. Not to mention, his defense was taking a bit of a step back too.

For all those complaining about Boone's decision with JC Escarra on Sunday, they probably need to recant and praise him for the Rosario move on Tuesday. That said ... fans were also calling for McMahon to get a day off, so we'll call it a wash.

Rosario played excellent defense at third, kept the offense breathing with his homer in the second inning, and then cranked the game-winning three-run shot off Leiter Jr. in the eighth to send Yankee Stadium into a frenzy.

Aaron Boone's lineup decision wakes Yankees offense up in win over Athletics

There's that absolutely awful 83 MPH splitter from Leiter Jr. we've been accustomed to seeing for two years! And someone at the bottom of the lineup capitalized on it! The expected outcome.

Had McMahon been in the lineup, the Yankees probably lose this game considering he's undergoing what seems to be a bit of an overhaul with his hitting mechanics. Rosario was without a doubt the correct play given how the lineup needed some sort of jolt with a majority of the current group underperforming.

We'll save the questionable bullpen decisions for another day (Boone went with THREE split-inning situations on Tuesday night and all looked like they were on the verge of backfiring). The bullpen bent, but it didn't break. And Rosario's two-homer, four-RBI night lifted the Yankees to an 8-2 record, taking some wind out of the Red Sox's sails after they got a much-needed victory over the red-hot Brewers.

Solid start for Cam Schlittler. Gutsy showing from the bullpen. Resilience from the offense. Early adjustments from Boone. Good luck to Luis Severino on Wednesday.