When seemingly everyone is pointing blaming fingers around The Bronx, New York Yankees ace Cam Schlittler voiced the ultimate message of support for Aaron Boone after the MLB playoffs elimination in Game 3 of ALDS against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Needless to say, the organization will hear to what the players have to say about the fan-scrutinized manager before making a decision. If the majority of the clubhouse shares views with Schlittler, then Boone might just survive the wave of criticism actively threatening his job in New York.
“I think Boone’s been amazing. I know every guy in this locker room stands behind him. I don’t see a reason why that needs to change,” Schlittler admitted after the playoff elimination, via SNY. “He’s someone that is going to put his players first, and I think that’s very important. He’s been great to this team and to the guys in here, and we trust him.
“There’s not a single day where I haven’t trusted him or a decision he’s made. I have a great relationship with him. I’ll back him up. I hope that I’m playing here for a long time and he’s still the manager. So he might take the blame for the way we perform, but at the end of the day, it comes down to us, and the expectation needs to be a little bit better.”
Manager Aaron Boone #17 of the New York Yankees.
Boone’s controversial decision in Game 3
Obviously, every decision ever made by Boone will be judged based on the final score. Game 3 of the ALDS was no different. Coming into the game, Boone raised eyebrows by having Trent Grisham be the leadoff batter, instead of Ben Rice who had been the team’s best batter throughout the 2026 MLB Postseason.
As fate would have it, the final at-bat of the season fell on Grisham’s lap, and there was no fairy tale ending. Grisham struckout on a swing-and-miss, and that was it. These are not easy times on the Yankees, with Jazz Chisholm Jr. lecturing fans after being booed.
Boone’s future is on the line
With the elimination sealed and the title hopes crushed, Yankees fans headed for the exits still wondering what could’ve been had it been Ben Rice at the plate in that situation. They will never know, but they can blame Boone’s decision-making for it.
Going into the offseason, it will linger, and it might be what ultimately determines Boone’s fate in the City That Never Sleeps, where fans will stay awake at night going over everything that went wrong in the sweep against the Rays. And that might be all she wrote for Boone.
Key takeaways
- Cam Schlittler voiced total support for Aaron Boone following the Yankees’ playoff elimination.
- Aaron Boone named Trent Grisham, who struck out for the final out, the leadoff batter over Ben Rice.
- The Tampa Bay Rays swept the New York Yankees to advance from the ALDS.
