The New York Yankees have been swept by the Boston Red Sox, and the fanbase is… not thrilled. These lulls tend to happen over the course of a 162-game season — you’d think fans would be content with a record 15 games above .500 and a 4.5-game lead in the AL East standings — but since it’s Yankees-Red Sox, emotions are running high.

Brayan Bello pitched seven scoreless innings on Sunday, by far his best outing of the 2025 campaign and a dire look for the Yankees’ offense. Aaron Judge has been swinging out of his shoes all series, and New York’s fundamental execution has been god-awful. This team has more than enough talent to win games and compete for a World Series, but there are times when it feels like the Yankees are just half-a**ing things on the diamond.

Naturally, the primary focal point of fans’ ire is Aaron Boone, a largely successful and accomplished manager who occupies the brightest spotlight in his profession. There is never a day’s peace for the Yankees manager. The expectations are constant and overwhelming. Even the slightest hint of failure will artificially warm your seat, whether the organization actually wants to fire you or not.

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Yankees fans take aim at Aaron Boone over lackluster fundamentals in Red Sox series

The most glaring stat from this nightmare series for the Yankees is Aaron Judge’s eight strikeouts. It happens to come in the direct aftermath of a rare game off. Sometimes when the hottest hitter in MLB is, well, the hottest hitter in MLB, it’s wise to let the momentum carry forward. Even a single rest day can disrupt a player’s rhythm at the plate.

Judge has a .384 batting average this season. To watch him just hacking at air is more than a little surprising. He is now 1-for-12 with nine strikeouts since his day off.

Perhaps more damning on the fundamentals front, however, has been New York’s baserunning in this series. Here is Ben Rice getting caught dead in the water on an attempted steal — just the latest in a string of costly errors on the base paths for New York.

Boone’s reaction mirrors the entire fanbase watching at home.

This constant state of sloppiness has led many fans to call for Boone’s job. The Yankees are never going to fire their manager in the middle of such a successful season, but these unforced errors touch all aspects of the game. New York’s patchwork defense, heads-down running, ineffective bullpen deployment — all of it adds up over time, and the cumulative effect could hinder the Yankees’ pursuit of another AL pennant and, of course, another World Series.

Boone has a nice cushion in the form of games won. The Yankees are, at worst, the second-best team in the American League right now. If these mind-numbing mistakes continue and it leads to catastrophe in the playoffs, however, don’t be shocked if we hear a sharp spike in Aaron Boone discourse next winter. The fans will want a new head honcho.