Yankees manager Aaron Boone explains decision to leave $10,400,000 star Harrison Bader in the game vs Braves despite costly error
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone explained his decision to leave Harrison Bader in the lineup despite a poor performance on Monday. The New York outfielder was criticized after a lapse in judgment saw him get picked off at first base during a crucial stage of the game.
The incident took place in the sixth inning with the Yankees trailing 8-2 against the Atlanta Braves. With an 0-1 count, pitcher Max Fried saw Bader a little too far off the base and threw a perfect strike to first baseman Matt Olson.
Bader looked on in disbelief as he was called out to end the inning, and any realistic chances of a late comeback.
Per a recent article in the New York Post, Boone addressed the issue and his decision not to pull Bader:
"I think it was a bad mistake and egregious."
Aaron Boone admitted that it was a costly error from the outfielder but attributed it to the veteran player competing hard and giving it his all:
"I didn’t think it was a guy that was not completely invested, completely hooked up and really competing," added Boone.
"Bader gets picked off, the Yankees challenge and the call stands" - Talkin' Yanks
Bader took responsibility for the mistake during his post-game interview stating:
"You just can't get picked off there."
The 29-year-old New York native can hopefully use this as a learning experience.
The former St. Louis Cardinals star joined the club last season and is currently in the final months of a two-year, $10.4 million deal.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone will be hoping to turn things around against the Red Sox this weekend
Every mistake this Yankees team makes is being heavily scrutinized as we approach the final stages of the season.
The back-to-back losses to the Atlanta Braves mean they have now dropped to 60-60 and trail the division-leading Baltimore Orioles by 14 games. Aaron Boone's team currently sits 6.5 games out of the wild card with just 42 games remaining.
"Harrison Bader on getting picked off at first: That was definitely a mistake and I take responsibility for." - YES Network
The team has managed to win just one series since the beginning of July against the lowly Kansas City Royals.
The Yanks may have been hoping for some winnable games but face a difficult schedule before the end of the season. They will look to avoid the sweep against the Braves on Wednesday before a critical series versus the Boston Red Sox.