Yankees' biggest Aaron Boone problem summed up in ghastly Red Sox sweep

It means more when the Yankees plays the Red Sox. A lot more. Yet, for what seems like the umpteenth time, the Yankees have fallen to their familiar foes in a regular season series. And this loss was not gentlemanly. The Yanks lost four straight to the bumbling baseballers from Boston, dropping their record to 4-5 against them this season. 

June has been a ghastly month for the Yankees against the Red Sox over the past few years. The Bronx Bombers carry a 4-23 record against Boston in June since 2021. This type of ineptitude can only point in one direction: The Yanks’ manager, who, though he has a winning record against Boston in his career (73-61), has struggled against division opponents throughout it.

Aaron Boone has a 89-94 record against the AL East since 2023. And for a team that’s finished well above .500 on a year-to-year basis (their win percentage has dipped below 55% just once in his career), sitting below it in the games that matter most is a hard pill to swallow.

Aaron Boone has to prove he can beat the AL East as Yankees manager

Now, if the Yankees were consistently making trips to the Fall Classic (which Boone & Co. have said remains the goal each year), this type of metric wouldn’t stand out as much. But when the same teams you’re facing in the postseason are the ones you’re facing the most throughout the regular season, it’s a wise proposition to cover your keester.

Making sure those bases are covered — that matchups are wisely executed, that scouting and video review is accurate, that your team has every ounce of info and preparation it needs to put together a successful series (both offensively and defensively) — can prevent disasters like the one that occurred last year when the Blue Jays handled the Yankees with ease in the ALDS.

Despite making the World Series the year before, and being the overwhelming favorites against a team that many felt should’ve been happy to be there, the Yankees looked lesser than the Blue Jays. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. & Co. showed no fear against their more experienced opponent, playing with a poise that protruded through the television screen. And it likely came as a result of their 8-5 record vs. NY in the regular season. 

It's not exceptionally hard to beat a team you've grown accustomed to beating, even if it is in the postseason. For a franchise with the history, the stars, and the payroll at its disposal, there should be an air of intimidation that strikes opponents when the Yankees meet them in the postseason. That just hasn’t been the case, and even when NY has led late in postseason games, they’ve been susceptible.

Just take the collapse that shall not be detailed against LA in the '24 World Series. And speaking of their foe in that Fall Classic (who went on to win back-to-back rings), they play in a division that's been competitive over the last few years (save for the Rockies). Many remember the D-backs' improbable pennant run of 2023. They went 89-73 the next year, and still missed the postseason, in large part because the Padres went 93-69. The same Padres the Dodgers defeated in two of their title years since 2020.

You catch the drift. Aaron Boone has yet to prove he can win a World Series at the helm of the Yankees. And it all starts with beating the teams you face the most during the regular season. It's that simple. Boone's record vs AL East opponents overall is 293-235, but he's also exclusively been eliminated by rivals (Red Sox twice, Astros twice, Rays once, Blue Jays once) in October. They might have beaten up on those teams a few times when the rosters were inferior, but when the competition is comparable you can see a noticeable difference.

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