BREAKING: Is Aaron Boone’s ‘Grady Little Moment’ in the World Series the Final Straw for the Yankees?

Aaron Boone

Did New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone just have his “Grady Little moment”?

Two outs from winning Game 1 of the World Series 3-2 on Friday night, Boone turned to left-handed pitcher Nestor Cortes, who hadn‘t pitched in 37 days, to save the game by facing the top of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ order.

It failed miserably — and could raise uncomfortable questions about Boone’s job security if the Yankees do not win the World Series.

Although Cortes got Shohei Ohtani to fly out in foul territory for the second out, the Yankees walked Mookie Betts to load the bases to pitch to Freddie Freeman, who proceeded to launch a walk-off grand slam. Dodgers 6, Yankees 3 in 10 innings.

On Thursday‘s ESPN “Baseball Tonight” podcast, MLB insider Buster Olney was asked which manager, Boone or the Dodgers’ Dave Roberts, was more “vulnerable” in terms of his job security. While Olney thought both were safe and would get extensions in the offseason, he left one caveat — the type that played out Friday.

“I think they are equally vulnerable,” Olney said. “It sounds like a cop-out but I think they are in a really great position now that they‘ve reached the World Series. … The Yankees getting back to World Series for the first time since 2009.

“(But) I do think that if there‘s a Grady Little moment. Like if there’s one major decision in a big spot that turns out to be decisive, that fuels talk radio, especially for Aaron Boone. Then, yeah, potentially that manager could be more vulnerable.”

Boone turned to Cortes, who last pitched Sept. 18, over Tim Hill, a funky left-handed reliever with a 3.36 ERA in the regular season and one earned run allowed in 5 2/3 innings in the postseason. Additionally, he was a player who at least had been pitching in competitive games, unlike Cortes who was resting and rehabbing his flexor tendon strain (which will likely require surgery) over the past month-plus.

In Game 7 of the 2003 AL Championship Series, former Boston Red Sox manager Grady Little kept in Pedro Martinez in the eighth inning against the Yankees with a 5-2 lead. Five batters later, the score was 5-5 and the Yankees would win via an 11th-inning Boone home run to knock out Boston, ultimately losing to the Marlins in the World Series.

The decision that drew heavy criticism was keeping Martinez in at 115 pitches with one batter on and left-handed slugger Hideki Matsui up, five outs from advancing to the World Series. The score was 5-3. Little could have called on lefty Alan Embree. Instead, Matsui hit a double and Jorge Posada doubled to score two more. The rest, as they say, was history.

Little was fired less than two weeks later, though the Red Sox say his insistence on a multi-year deal played a factor.

Related Posts

🚨 BREAKING: RED SOX STARS BOYCOTT HALL OF FAME BALLOT AFTER DUSTIN PEDROIA SNUB. In а drаmаtіc ѕhow of loyаlty, three former рlаyerѕ connected to the Boѕton Red Sox hаve reрortedly refuѕed to раrtіcіраte іn the Hаll of Fаme votіng рroceѕѕ аfter frаnchіѕe іcon Duѕtіn Pedroіа wаѕ left off the bаllot. The рroteѕt hаѕ ѕраrked heаted debаte аcroѕѕ bаѕebаll, wіth mаny fаnѕ аrguіng Pedroіа’ѕ legаcy deѕerveѕ ѕtronger recognіtіon іn Cooрerѕtown. 👇👇

а new debаte іѕ begіnnіng to ѕрreаd аcroѕѕ the bаѕebаll world аfter ѕeverаl рromіnent fіgureѕ connected to the Boѕton Red ѕox reрortedly voіced ѕtrong fruѕtrаtіon wіth how Hаll of…

🔥 Spring Training Decisions: Two Baltimore Orioles Players Clinch Opening Day Roster Spots — While Two Others See Their Dreams Slip Away

Orioles Spring Training Update: 2 Players Earning Opening Day Spots and 2 Losing Ground The Baltimore Orioles entered 2026 spring training with one of the most stable…

“After Months of Uncertainty, Austin Riley Is Exploding in Spring Training — and the Atlanta Braves Clubhouse Is Buzzing With New Belief.”

Austin Riley’s Powerful Spring Training Surge Gives the Atlanta Braves Renewed Optimism The Atlanta Braves entered spring training searching for encouraging signs after a pair of difficult…

TWO CUBS COULD FLIP THE SEASON as the Chicago Cubs head into the new campaign with a pair of under the radar players drawing serious attention inside the clubhouse. Coaches believe their development could quietly change the trajectory of the lineup and pitching mix. Around baseball the talk is growing that these two names might become the surprise X factors that define the Cubs’ season. 👇👇👇

Two Cubs Players Who Could Be Big X-Factors This Upcoming Season Every Major League Baseball season tends to revolve around star power. Fans naturally focus on the…

Game changer: Chicago White Sox vs Colorado Rockies at Camelback Ranch – The surprising first pitch time, TV channel, weather forecast, and everything fans need to know

Game changer: Chicago White Sox vs Colorado Rockies at Camelback Ranch – The surprising first pitch time, TV channel, weather forecast, and everything fans need to know…

Game changer: Atlanta Braves vs Minnesota Twins at CoolToday Park – The surprising first pitch time, TV channel, weather forecast, and everything fans need to know

Game changer: Atlanta Braves vs Minnesota Twins at CoolToday Park – The surprising first pitch time, TV channel, weather forecast, and everything fans need to know Spring…