After the Yankees’ Game 1 rout of the Red Sox, the box score barely left room for complaints. Cam Schlittler did what Cam Schlittler does.
Ben Rice turned in a night Aaron Judge has never matched outside the regular season. New York rolled, and most of the lineup questions disappeared in the noise.
But one decision still stands out: Aaron Boone’s choice to start Amed Rosario at third base.
Rosario was brought in to face Payton Tolle, and the matchup did not pay off. He struck out on three pitches in the second inning, then later drew a six-pitch walk.
That was enough to avoid a complete zero, but it did little to change the larger picture around his bat. Since July 1, Rosario is hitting .217/.250/.304 with a 53 wRC+.
That’s why José Caballero looks like the cleaner answer at the hot corner, no matter who’s pitching. His bat is not a huge weapon, but compared with Rosario and Ryan McMahon, it gives the Yankees a better chance to get something useful out of the position.
The argument for McMahon is mostly his glove, and even that edge is thin. McMahon has a 1 OAA and -1 DRS, while Caballero sits at -1 OAA with -1 DRS.
Caballero’s biggest separator is speed. He has stolen 34 bases this year, and that kind of quickness changes the way pitchers have to work. He can get on first and immediately become a nuisance, which is more than can be said for the other options Boone has used at third.
So even after a dominant win, the Yankees still have one lineup decision worth revisiting. Third base remains the one obvious soft spot on a team otherwise built to make a postseason run, provided it can get past a pair of division rivals first.
In Other News...
George Lombard Jr Just Gave Yankees Fans A New October Name
George Lombard Jr. gave the Yankees exactly the kind of jolt October can deliver, and he did it in a place where history tends to linger. In Game 1 of the American League wild-card series against the Red Sox, the rookie shortstop became the youngest player in Yankees history to collect a postseason hit, then kept swinging with the kind of confidence that stood out in a lopsided win.
Lombard finished 3 for 4 with two runs scored as New York rolled to a nine-run victory, a performance that instantly adds another name for fans to watch as the pressure rises. The Yankees now have a chance to close out the series in Game 2, and Lombards emergence only gives the club more reason to feel good about where this October story is headed. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Capitalized On A Red Sox Decision Fans Will Debate
Bostons decision point in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series came with the kind of postseason tension that gets second-guessed almost immediately. Red Sox manager Chad Tracy went to the bullpen in the fifth inning with Payton Tolle still in a one-run game, even though the starter had worked 4.2 innings and allowed just five hits and one earned run. In October, every move gets magnified, especially when a young starter has kept his team close and the margin is still narrow.
The Yankees made sure the debate did not stay theoretical for long. After Tolle gave way to left-hander Erik Miller, Ben Rice jumped on the matchup and delivered a solo home run, the kind of swing that turns a managerial call into a talking point all over again. The larger question hanging over the night is whether Boston moved on Tolle too quickly for the setting, or whether the bullpen decision simply reflected the pressure of protecting a game that was already slipping into the late innings. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox May Have Created A Huge Roman Anthony Problem For The Bronx
Roman Anthonys return for the Boston Red Soxs final regular-season game looked like a significant step toward getting one of their most talented young hitters back on the field, but it did not come without concern. Anthony had already missed much of the season because of a right hand injury, and even in a game that was supposed to help set the tone for October, the hand became an issue again.
Red Sox manager Chad Tracy said the hand was uncomfortable and flared up on a check swing, which is the kind of development no team wants to hear this time of year. For the Yankees, the bigger question is not just whether Anthony can play, but whether Boston can count on him being anywhere close to fully functional if these clubs end up seeing each other in the postseason. [Read more 🡒]