SEVY HEART
Boone: I got 'greedy' with Luis in Game 3, Steinbrenner agress
Aaron Boone had a relatively smooth rookie season in the Yankees’ dugout — until Game 3 of the ALDS.
That’s when the manager watched as Luis Severino was hit all over the Stadium for three innings — and then he sent him out for the fourth.
After that decision backfired as Severino failed to retire a batter in the inning and the game turned into a rout, Boone was again slow to pull CC Sabathia in Game 4, when the Red Sox ended the Yankees’ season.
Boone admitted in a year-end press conference in The Bronx on Friday that he should have pulled Severino sooner.
“Looking back at Game 3, I didn’t feel [Severino] was on top of his game and I think that’s the one I look back and say, ‘All right, I probably got greedy with [him] in the fourth there, wanting to get him through the bottom of the order,’ ” Boone said of the decision. “And he came out and really struggled, obviously, and that kind of snowballed.”
Severino gave up three runs in the first two innings before he loaded the bases with no one out in the fourth. Boone pulled Severino for Lance Lynn, who allowed all three runners to score and the Yankees were out of the game.
In a Friday interview on “The Michael Kay Show,” managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner — while supportive of Boone overall — criticized the move.
“I can tell you one [decision] that I disagree with and that’s bringing Severino out for that fourth inning on Monday,’’ Steinbrenner said. “I think there were too many signs. I’m not a baseball guy, but I can tell when a guy’s getting hit hard, even if they’re outs. It just seemed like he didn’t have his stuff and it might have been time at that point to make a change.”
The following night, Sabathia gave up three runs in the third inning of an elimination game. Boone stood by that move, saying he wanted to use David Robertson, Zach Britton, Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman for only a combined six innings.
The Yankees rallied in the bottom of the ninth, but fell a run short.
“He took a shot and that’s what managers do: they make decisions based on a lot of different things going on,’’ general manager Brian Cashman said of leaving both Severino and Sabathia in their games. “If it worked, the accolades come; if it doesn’t, they don’t. That’s the definition of a manager, especially in the postseason.”
Of perhaps greater concern than Boone’s decision-making is the fact Severino struggled at times this season. During an 11-start stretch from July to September, the right-hander pitched to a 6.83 ERA. And in six postseason starts, Severino has completed five innings just once.
And Boone conceded tipping pitches may still be an issue.
“It’s happened at times,” Boone said. “I think he’s done a good job at correcting it. We’ll address it even more this winter and try to eliminate any chance of that happening [again].”
Both Cashman and Boone insisted again Friday there was no issue with Severino’s warmup prior to Game 3, despite TBS’ Ron Darling pointing out that it was much shorter than a typical pregame routine.
“Trust me, we dug to try to find as much as we could, but we just feel like he had some bumps along the way,’’ Boone said of Severino’s issues.