START SPREADING THE BOOS!
Boone blows it by leaving Luis in too long Red Sox burst Bombers’ bubble in 16-1 rout Now Yanks send CC to mound to save season
The Aaron Boone honeymoon is over after he and Luis Severino hear the jeers in Bronx during historic loss in Game 3 of ALDS.
RED SOX 16 YANKEES 1 Yankee catcher John Flaherty said that would be very surprising.
“There is no way you can go on a big-league bullpen mound eight minutes before the scheduled first pitch and expect to be ready,” said Flaherty, who has done many Yankee games this season.
Severino and Rothschild both pointed to his first inning, in which he worked around a two-out walk to J.D. Martinez as proof that his issue wasn’t with his pregame warmups.
“The problem occurred in the third inning, not the first inning,” Rothschild said, adding that Severino pulled his fastball and didn’t have good command. Severino also abandoned his slider early and relied heavily on his changeup.
The Red Sox tagged Severino for six runs on seven hits and two walks in just three innings. He struck out two. Severino gave up two in the third, but Boone sent him back out for the fourth. Severino loaded the bases without getting an out, beginning a parade of pitchers who were hit hard. The first-year Yankee manager went with Lance Lynn in that spot, even though the converted starter had only come into a game once this year with runners on base, over his hardthrowing “Ferraris.”
“With Dellin (Betances), we figured we only had for an inning tonight. Certainly in hindsight, we could have started the fourth inning with (David Robertson) or something, but we really felt like Sevy could at least get us a couple outs in that fourth inning before turning it over to Lynn,” Boone said. “And then we could roll out our guys. But we just couldn’t stop the bleeding at all. That was the thinking behind it.”
Backup catcher Austin Romine, who pitched the ninth, allowed two runs on just one hit, becoming just the second position player in major league history to pitch in a postseason game.
Luis Severino said he knew what time it was; unfortunately for the Yankees it now may be too late. The Bombers pushed back against the broadcast allegation that Severino arrived at the bullpen to warm up 10 minutes before first pitch of Monday night’s Game 3 of the American League Division Series. While he said he was ready and prepared, Severino was not sharp and was chased early by the Red Sox in an embarrassing 16-1 loss at the Stadium.
The most lopsided postseason loss in Yankee history now has them on the verge of elimination. The Red Sox, who clinched and celebrated their American League East division title over the Yankees here last month, have another chance to sip and spray champagne in the Bronx tonight.
It was the first time the Yankees had lost a postseason game in the Bronx since 2015, snapping a streak of seven straight wins. They will try to stave off elimination with CC Sabathia on the mound and hoping their lineup can put up a better fight than they gave Nathan Eovaldi Monday night.
The Red Sox righty held the Yankees to a run on five hits over seven innings. It was the first time the Yankees had been held without an extra-base hit in a postseason game since the 2015 wild-card game against the Astros. Eovaldi was clearly on time. Ron Darling, the SNY analyst working for TBS in this series, reported that Severino did not get to the bullpen to warm up until 7:32 p.m. First pitch was at 7:42.
Aaron Boone said there was no issue with Severino’s warmup. Severino took issue with the accusation.
“Who is he?” Severino asked when told of Darling’s report. “He’s not the pitching coach, he’s not here all the time. Whatever he said, he’s not always in our bullpen. How does he know when I came out?
“I came out for the game like I usually do,” Severino said.
His claim was backed up by Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild, who said that Severino generally does work indoors and then throws 20-26 pitches to warm up in the bullpen. Monday night, Rothschild said Severino did long toss, threw a bullpen with two hitters standing in and had time to sit down before the anthem.
Still, on the YES network postgame, former
The one hit Romine gave up, however, was a home run to Brock Holt, who completed the first postseason cycle in major league history. He highlighted an impressive offensive barrage that did not have the benefit of one home run. That Red Sox outburst of offense Monday night now has the 2018 Yankees season closing in on midnight fast. But, just to be safe, if Sabathia is going to save the season, he should be clear the start time is 8:07 p.m. on Tuesday.