Being the manager of the New York Yankees is one of the most prestigious coaching jobs in sports, but as Peter Parker's Uncle Ben famously said, with great power comes great responsibility.
Spider-man and his uncle are canonically Mets fans, yet their most-quoted interaction could easily be applied right now to Aaron Boone. Boone is in the midst of his seventh season as Yankees manager, and in that time he's presided over a club that not only hasn't added to the franchise's record 27 World Series titles, it hasn't even won a single pennant. Even though Yankees ownership has been more forgiving since the death of George Steinbrenner, there comes a point where Yankees fans will have had enough.
The Yankees are 68-47 and in a tie for first place in the A.L. East with the Baltimore Orioles, but make no mistake, Boone is on the hot seat if things go south between now and October. Here are four outcomes that could force Brian Cashman's hand and push Boone out of the Bronx.
There's one thing that no self-respecting Yankee fan can abide, and that's losing to the Red Sox. For much of the year, this hasn't been a worry. Boston languished at or under .500 for the first few months of the season, but Alex Cora's club has been coming on strong since taking two of three from the Yankees in mid-June to cut the difference between the teams from 13 games to only six.
The Yankees are tied with the Orioles for first place in the A.L. East. Finishing behind Baltimore would be painful but understandable. The Orioles have the best young roster in baseball, and they won 101 games last year. Finishing behind the Red Sox would be a different matter entirely, though. Boston was projected as a last-place team heading into the year, whereas the Yanks and O's are both in World Series or bust mode.
The Red Sox have won five of nine from the Yankees this year, with only a critical four game set at Yankee Stadium in September remaining. Tensions will be high for that one, and if Boston can use that series to leap the Yankees in the standings, that could be the beginning of the end for Boone.
The Yankees acquired Juan Soto this past offseason. They've gotten an incredible rookie year from Luis Gil. Aaron Judge may hit 60 homers again. They can't afford to waste that. Falling behind Boston would be catastrophic in and of itself, but it could also mean that the Yankees could completely miss the playoffs if it happens, as the Twins and Royals are nipping at their heels, as well. Boone would need a security detail to get out of New York if that were to occur.
Mismanage the pitching staff
Nothing can get a manager in trouble more easily than mismanaging his pitching staff. Boone has a particularly difficult job in this respect, as most of his staff has been injury prone throughout their respective careers.
Carlos Rodon and Nestor Cortes each missed significant time last year. Erstwhile ace Gerrit Cole has made only eight starts this season due to an elbow injury to start the year. Luis Gil is only two or three starts from pitching more innings this season than the last three combined thanks to Tommy John surgery in 2022. Will he hit the rookie wall? Then there's Marcus Stroman, whose most recent start was pushed back, and Clarke Schmidt, who's missed significant time with a lat strain and is expected back sometimes this month.
Boone needs to not only keep his fragile starting staff intact, he needs to deploy his bullpen effectively. To this point, he's done a good job of that. Michael Tonkin has been extremely effective since arriving in the Bronx after failed stints this season with the Twin and Mets (twice!). Clay Holmes has had his ups and downs as closer, but despite nine blown saves, he still has a 2.70 ERA. Luke Weaver and Tommy Kahnle have been very good while eating up a lot of innings, which is why the Yankees currently rank second in the American League and fourth in the majors in bullpen ERA. Kahnle missed the start of the season with shoulder inflammation though, so his health will need to be managed. Ian Hamilton has been on the injured list since May.
Criticism of Boone's bullpen usage has followed him in his time as Yankees manager. With less than 50 games left in the regular season and the crucible of the playoffs looming, every late-game decision will take on added importance. If he gets it wrong when it matters most, there may be no going back.
Making the playoffs isn't the guarantee of future job security it once was. Since MLB expanded the playoff field to six teams per league in 2022, teams can not only make the playoffs if they don't win their division, they can even finish third or fourth and still be playing well into October.
Competing in the Wild Card Series means the Yankees will have lost the division to the Orioles. They'd then likely face another Wild Card team like the Twins, Royals, or Red Sox, but it's fair to say that the Yankees would be heavily favored over each of those teams. The Yanks have owned the Twins in the playoffs, and the Royals would be seen as a team that's just happy to be there. We've already gone over what losing to the Red Sox would mean, but on paper, and when it comes to payroll, New York has a clearly superior roster.
Joe Girardi was fired as Yankees manager after losing in Game 7 of the ALCS to the Astros. Boone has reached the ALCS twice himself, but the last time was two years ago and resulted in a humiliating four-game sweep. He missed the playoffs last year, and a slight improvement that resulted in a Wild Card exit would spell the end for him.
Fall short of the World Series
This one falls in line with losing in the Wild Card Series, but honestly, the bar needs to be set higher for Boone than just guiding the Yankees to the final four of the American League. This is the Yankees we're talking about, not most franchises for which just making the playoffs would be deemed a success.
Girardi lasted 10 seasons as Yankees manager, but he was able to live off of the World Series that he won in his second year for most of that time. Boone doesn't have the leeway that a championship buys. Adding to the pressure is the fact that the Yankees and the Orioles are all but certain to be the two favorites to represent the American League in the Fall Classic. The A.L. West is weak, with the defending champ Rangers and perennial contender Astros currently on the outside looking in. The division-leading Mariners aren't scaring anybody, either. The Guardians figure to be the biggest impediment to a Yankees-Orioles ALCS, but they've been knocked out of the playoffs by the Yankees two of the last four years.
The Yankees haven't reached the World Series since 2009. That's an eternity for baseball's preeminent franchise. Aaron Boone is out of excuses and out of time. Anything short of a World Series berth with this team should be seen as a failure worthy of dismissal.
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