Every October, managers inevitably get criticized for their tactical maneuvers. It’s easy to second-guess managerial decisions from the couch, because they just seem so simple. We can convince ourselves that we could make managerial choices. We can’t hit the ball like Aaron Judge or throw Dellin Betances’ curveball, but we totally feel we could pull a starting pitcher who has nothing.
The prevailing story of the Yankees’ demise was manager Aaron Boone’s inaction. We’ve covered Boone’s mistakes at length already. He clearly seemed to leave Luis Severino in too long in Game Three of the ALDS, letting him start a fateful fourth inning, and then had Lance Lynn, of all people, lined up to relieve Severino.