Aaron Boone's final confounding Game 2 bullpen move created pointless Yankees strain

Give Aaron Boone a modicum of credit: he managed Game 2 of the 2024 ALDS as if his Yankees team was normal and had a chance of erasing a simple 4-1 deficit at home in the middle innings. He did not wave the white flag. He did not throw in the towel. He kept chasing victory -- a victory that, again, would've been reasonable for a motivated team to attain.

Unfortunately, his efforts were for naught, as the Yankees' win probability slid down a hill slower than Giancarlo Stanton after ingesting a 108-ounce steak. Finally, in the ninth inning, Boone relented, using Tim Mayza, the last man in his bullpen, to reach the finish line with (hopefully) a three-run deficit.

Mayza retired the first two batters he faced easily, ticking up on the radar gun from his Blue Jays days. That agitated at least a couple of folks north of the border (worth it). Unfortunately, he was unable to close the frame, allowing Maikel Garcia to reach base for the fourth time in the game, and bringing MVP runner-up (calling it) Bobby Witt Jr. to the plate. Boone didn't panic; he left Mayza in the game to -- I'm sorry, what?

He went to closer Luke Weaver? Down three runs? For the second time in as many games? Following 84 regular season innings? To face the opposing team's No. 1 threat, and presumably someone he'll be called upon to strike down yet again in Games 3-through-5? To give Witt Jr. an extra look at a tough-to-time pitcher in a nearly-gone game? Great. Just awesome.

Why did Aaron Boone go to Yankees closer Luke Weaver in a 4-1 ALDS Game 2 for Bobby Witt Jr.?

Weaver's outing began with confusion; he was assessed a ball because of a faulty PitchCom unit, then stalked around the mound trying to slip the tech into the brim of his hat. Ultimately, he threw just four pitches, retiring Witt Jr. on a popup in foul ground.

Perhaps Boone had predetermined that he didn't want Weaver to sit between Games 1 and 3, fated to come out cold in Kansas City with 96 hours between appearances? Instead of setting up a sim game or something out of the spotlight, he instead revved Weaver up and inserted him into a borderline lost cause, wasting bullets and unnecessarily giving the Royals' best player a second look at his perked-up stuff.

Hopefully, Weaver's mounting innings count doesn't come back to bite him, nor does presenting Witt with additional information about his pitches' zip and break. It's difficult to make the legitmate claim that four pitches could be the tipping point in Weaver's worn-out arm, but they marked four more chances for one of baseball's best players to time him up. Perhaps this forgotten moment remains insignificant, but it's impossible to be sure, and it's a brain puzzle of Boone's making after nearly two full games of perfect managerial baseball.