Do The Yankees Have An Extra Innings Problem Or A Bad Bullpen Management Problem?

Great and talented hitting can help win ballgames, but managers can also lose games for teams, and let’s not forget that.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: the Yankees go to extra innings… and then fall flat on their pinstriped faces. At this point, “free baseball” just means free heartbreak. And while some fans will point fingers at the players, the real problem is sitting in the dugout, flipping through his bullpen chart like it’s a Cheesecake Factory menu — yes, we’re talking about Aaron Boone.

Let’s get to the meat of it: the Yankees are 1-6 in extra-inning games this season. One and six. That’s not a slump — that’s a full-on meltdown with a side of mismanagement. And while the offense has generally been strong this year, they completely vanish when the clock strikes inning ten. But the real culprit isn’t just the cold bats — it’s Boone’s baffling bullpen decisions that keep sinking the ship.

Case in point: the recent loss to the Cincinnati Reds. The Yankees got three solid, scoreless innings from Weaver, Williams, and Leiter Jr. — and then, predictably, disaster struck. Boone left Leiter in for a second inning of work in the 11th, where he promptly served up three hits and two runs, handing Cincinnati the win like a door prize. Yankees lose. Again. Shocker.

And remember that lovely little memory from the 2024 World Series? Yankees clinging to life, Freddie Freeman up in a high-leverage situation, and instead of going to Tim Hill — a lefty built for that moment — Boone decides to toss Nestor Cortes into the fire. It was a choice. Not a good one, but a choice nonetheless. This is one of my favorite podcasts and I watched it after that Cortes game.

Boone’s bullpen management isn’t just questionable — it’s practically a case study in how not to handle pressure. He doesn’t trust his best arms in the biggest spots, and he rides guys too long like he’s playing MLB The Show on rookie mode. It’s maddening. If there’s a blueprint for how to lose winnable games, Aaron Boone laminated it.

Let’s not sugarcoat this anymore: Boone is not a good in-game manager. He may have the clubhouse vibes of a chill middle school gym teacher, but that doesn’t cut it in October — or June, apparently. And while the Yankees are still stacked with talent, it won’t matter if the man steering the ship can’t tell port from starboard.

Here’s the hard truth: the Yankees aren’t winning a World Series with Boone calling the shots. Not this year. Not next year. Not ever. Leadership matters, especially when the game gets tight, the innings get long, and the margin for error shrinks to nothing. Boone folds like a beach chair every time.

So yes, the Yankees have an extra-inning problem — but that’s just a symptom. The disease? Boone’s decision-making. If the front office is serious about championships, they need to stop pretending this guy is the answer. Because right now, he’s the reason we keep getting the wrong result.

Fire Boone. Free the bullpen. Fix the Yankees.