Yankees' latest horrid Anthony Volpe at-bat falls squarely on Aaron Boone's shoulders

Before the New York Yankees pulled off a cathartic victory on Sunday Night Baseball over the Mets, things were decidedly less joyful in Mudville entering the late innings. The way the Yankees ultimately took a 3-2 lead back in the eighth was quite hilarious, thanks to Pete Alonso. But it should've happened the inning prior — and easily would've, if Anthony Volpe hadn't taken strike one in a 3-0 count, then proceeded to swing at balls four, five and six with the bases loaded.

Volpe, himself, certainly was at fault for these cascading poor swing decisions. The tailing fastball on 3-1 was bad enough, but the 3-2 pitch started further in and tailed far more. Volpe needed to recognize that after getting bedeviled by the first one. He didn't, and it almost cost his team the game.

But he wasn't the only one who deserves blame. After all, there's only one man responsible (so we're told) for Volpe appearing in that crucial position so many times on Sunday.

Yankees' manager Aaron Boone still has a harsh Anthony Volpe lesson to learn

The Yankees' organization needs to eventually decide what they're willing to accept from Volpe. A 4.0-WAR shortstop who derives most of his value from defense is far from the Yankees' biggest issue. But, from the day they awarded him the job out of spring training and cut Oswald Peraza out of the picture, it's been hard to ignore the "preferential treatment" allegations.

The defense is largely great — except in big moments, like the last out of the game in Baltimore last summer or the World Series, after Aaron Judge's dropped fly ball required a pick-me-up. The offense is improving, sure, but the same flies are still hanging out in that same ointment. You can get Volpe to chase low and away. You can tempt him off the plate when the lights are brightest. Is the team going to take action? Will actions have consequences? Or, because it's Volpe and the WAR is there, do we just not care so much?

If so, then Boone has a clear lever that he can and must pull. And, until he does, the blame falls on him as well. This version of Volpe seems to be, in the middle of Year 3, turning an offensive corner. That's great. He's still a No. 7 hitter until further notice, but he's still batting fifth. Whoever's responsible for that decision — whether it's Boone or someone ultra tolerant above him — must quickly reevaluate it, for everyone's sake.

Until then, the Yankees are going to keep paying for their stubbornness with occasional great Volpe flashes and eternally frustrating high-leverage ABs where he can be tempted outside the zone. Sometimes three times in a row.