Don't blame Aaron Boone for Yankees' poor fundamentals
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
3 minutes ago
- New York Times
David Bednar shows why he should be Yankees' new closer: ‘Dawg effort'
ARLINGTON, Texas — Aaron Boone wasn't going to do it. The New York Yankees' manager left the dugout intending to remove reliever David Bednar, who was struggling and had already thrown a season-high 35 pitches. But when Boone reached the mound, he looked Bednar in the eyes. 'I'm going to take you here,' Boone said. Advertisement 'No,' Bednar said, 'you're not.' 'You sure?' 'Let's go. I got this guy.' It was all Boone needed to hear. As he left the mound, the Yankees infielders surrounding Bednar were fired up. Shortstop Anthony Volpe pounded his glove and yelled. It worked. Bednar worked Adolis García to a 2-2 count and then forced him to swing over a splitter near the bottom of the zone and over the plate. It was a clutch five-out save for Bednar, and for the Yankees, it was a 3-2 win over the Rangers at Globe Life Field, snapping their five-game losing streak and freeing them from a general malaise that appeared to be hanging over the club. And it signaled to the Yankees that they should seriously consider giving the ninth inning to Bednar for the rest of the season. 'That's a dawg effort right there,' Boone said. 'That was awesome,' first baseman Paul Goldschmidt said. 'Takes some grit to finish it off,' starting pitcher Carlos Rodón said. Yankees Win 🚨 Postgame coming up next on YES and The Gotham Sports App: — YES Network (@YESNetwork) August 6, 2025 The victory meant the third-place Yankees would remain 6 1/2 games back of the first-place Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East. Perhaps more importantly, it put the Yankees 1 1/2 games ahead of the Rangers for the third and final wild-card position. 'It's obviously one game,' Boone said. 'We've got to dig ourselves out here. But as I've said, it's there for us. We've got to go take this thing. I'm steadfast that I believe that we've got a great run in us. (I) believe in those guys in the room. But as we've been saying kind of everyday, right, we've got to go do it. This is just one win, definitely a little settling going into an off day, but we start a big home stand where we've got to (put the) pedal down.' Advertisement It also came after the Yankees watched Devin Williams — whom they hoped would finally seize the job — crumble in consecutive losses in Arlington. On Monday, Williams gave up a solo homer to blow a save and a one-run lead in the ninth inning. On Tuesday, he failed to protect a scoreless tie in the eighth inning, giving up two runs as the Yankees lost 2-0. The Yankees acquired a trio of the relievers at the deadline, two of which with previous closer experience in Bednar and Camilo Doval. The moves were clear signs in the Yankees' shaky confidence in the bullpen in general, but also in Williams, who lost the role earlier in the year to Luke Weaver only for the Yankees to give it back to him when Weaver went on the injured list. Williams, one of the best relievers in the National League the last few years, has a 5.44 ERA in 47 games. Bednar, meanwhile, had a 2.37 ERA and 17 saves in 42 appearances with the Pittsburgh Pirates before the Yankees traded for him at the deadline Thursday, and before he gave up two runs in his first appearance in his first day with the team Friday. Bednar bounced back with a scoreless frame Monday vs. the Rangers. He struggled in 2024, but he led the league with 39 saves in 2023. The job wouldn't be new to him. All five of Bednar's outs came via strikeout Wednesday. His 42 pitches were the most he'd thrown in a game since 2022. The five-out save was his first since 2023. Bednar fanned ex-Yankees Kyle Higashioka and Josh Smith in the eighth, and in the ninth, he struck out Rowdy Tellez and Sam Haggerty. Then he narrowly walked Corey Seager on a breaking ball that just missed the plate, and then Marcus Semien singled to right field. Meanwhile, in the bullpen, Doval was warming up. Boone didn't want to use him, since he had pitched in the previous two games. But he was getting desperate, having already used Mark Leiter Jr., Tim Hill and Yerry De Los Santos after Rodón lasted five innings, giving up two runs. Advertisement Bednar said he didn't even see Boone leave the dugout. He saw catcher Ben Rice walking toward the mound for what he thought would be a visit to prepare for García. He was straightforward with Boone. 'I told him I wanted (García), and he agreed, and I just wanted to bear down and get that last one,' Bednar said. Though Boone intended to pull Bednar, after the game, he suspected that maybe in his heart he wanted Bednar to possibly make him change his mind. After all, he didn't signal to the bullpen immediately upon leaving the dugout. He let Bednar have a word. 'I mean, that's fair,' Boone said. 'So I was going out to make the move, but you're right. I didn't go right to it right away. So, maybe I did want to get a little feel from him.' Boone trusted Bednar with the game on the line. He should do it again the next time there's a save opportunity. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
New York Times
33 minutes ago
- New York Times
Five numbers that showcase the Blue Jays' historic dominance over the Rockies
DENVER — It took 27 whole innings for the home crowd to finally boo. Even then, the Coors Field groans were filled with a sort of amusement, laced with an appreciation of just how much things had gotten out of hand. The Toronto Blue Jays made history in the final frame of a 20-1 victory on Wednesday, tacking on the last few runs of a third consecutive blowout. With Toronto now sporting a 68-48 record, best in the American League, here are five numbers that distill the Jays' three-game dominance in Denver. Advertisement The Jays found seemingly every inch of outfield grass across three games in Colorado. As position player Austin Nola lobbed in pitches to mercifully end Wednesday's finale, the Jays surpassed the 1950 St. Louis Browns for most hits in a three-game series by any squad in the modern era (since 1901). Vladimir Guerrero Jr. recorded eight hits in the series. Ernie Clement notched five in the first game and four in the finale. Newly-acquired infielder Ty France, who also reached base with two hit-by-pitches on Wednesday, collected more hits in Colorado (five) than in his previous seven games combined. France's big day was one thing Jays manager John Schneider said he will remember most about the series. 'It was everyone, literally, on the roster, doing something,' he said. The Jays surpassed the franchise's previous record for hits in a three-game series by 12, set in July 2022 at Fenway Park. Coors Field is often a launching pad for opposing lineups. Colorado entered Wednesday's finale with a 6.44 ERA at home, more than a half-run higher than the second-worst squad. But perhaps more than any other team, the 2025 Blue Jays were built for the Rockies' home park. Per Baseball Savant park factors, Coors Field produces 16 percent more hits than the league average. The outfield is massive and the thin air adds additional flight to line drives. For a Toronto team that entered the series with baseball's best batting average (.264) and lowest strikeout rate (17.3 percent), Coors was a run-scoring haven. 'It's a big outfield,' Bo Bichette said. 'Just put the ball in play, give yourself a chance. Obviously, we did that.' Despite ranking around the league average in home runs, Toronto's contact-dominant offence ranks fifth in baseball with 576 runs. At Coors, that contact ability helped them set another record. With at least 10 runs across all three games and 45 runs total, the Jays set a franchise benchmark for most runs in a three-game series. Advertisement For the first time since April, Bichette's batting average pushed over .300. The shortstop tallied seven hits, three homers and 10 RBI across the three games in Colorado. It was his first time playing at Coors Field, where his father, Dante, hit 111 homers. Everything about Bichette is consistent. Each at-bat features the same calculated aggression. Every batting practice showcases the same sprayed line drives. Every word he speaks slowly trickles out in the same calm, quiet tone. In 2024, hamstring strains and a finger fracture halted that consistency. But this year, with Bichette in what could be his final season with the Jays, the dependability returned. He once again owns the most hits in the league (145) and his .815 OPS is above his career average. Bichette is now on pace to lead his league in hits for a third time, surpassing his father, who led the National League in hits twice. 'I just feel like I have a pretty good understanding of who I want to be as a hitter right now,' Bichette said. The Blue Jays' early offensive success came on the back of endless contributions across the lineup. But when Bichette and Guerrero Jr. are in peak form, as they were in Colorado, the offence can hang with the best in baseball. Guerrero Jr. met a fastball at the top of the zone, launching the 99 mph pitch deep to right field in Wednesday's eighth inning. As he connected, the franchise first baseman started into a certain slow trot. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. makes it 11 runs on the day for the @BlueJays! — MLB (@MLB) August 6, 2025 That deep drive was Guerrero's second opposite-field homer of the series — and just his second on the season. Those power drives to the opposite power alley are the hits that tell Guerrero that his swing is truly locked in. In the first half of the season, Toronto's offence performed just fine without a truly dominant stretch from Guerrero. But if it wasn't already clear, the Colorado homers prove that Toronto's franchise player has found his hot streak. Advertisement 'It feels good,' Guerrero said of his swing, through team interpreter Hector Lebron. 'Things, I know, are going to happen. Good things are going to happen.' In 20 games since the All-Star break, Guerrero is hitting .378 with six homers and 16 RBI. He's now on pace for 25 homers and rides a 23-game on-base streak to Los Angeles, with matchups set against the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw, Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Lost in Toronto's endless offence was surprisingly stable starting pitching. Battling the altered environment of Coors Field, Eric Lauer, José Berríos and Kevin Gausman each adjusted their usual plans to quell the Rockies' lineup. All three starters allowed early hits and made quick arsenal tweaks. After allowing a first-inning run, Gausman spent the rest of Wednesday's contest attempting to bounce his signature splitter to avoid hanging pitches. Lauer and Berríos stayed away from their breaking balls. All three starters mentioned an added focus on pitching down in the zone as the game went on. With the Rockies on pace for fewer than 50 wins, the Jays won't have to face the Colorado conditions again this season. But this series tested the starters' ability to make rapid, in-game adjustments — and they passed. Even if Toronto's pitching stumbled at Coors Field, the lineup could've won the series all on its own. But in a high-stakes environment like the postseason, with opposing lineups concocting ultra-focused game plans, those quick shifts on the mound can be the difference between crucial wins and brutal losses. (Top photo of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.:) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Bednar's first save as Yankee secures 3-2 win over Rangers, snaps five-game skid
ARLINGTON, Texas – David Bednar got his first save for the New York Yankees after going a little longer than expected, and ended their five-game losing streak before going home. Bednar got the final five outs, all on strikeouts, in their 3-2 win at Texas on Wednesday. The game-ending one came with two runners on base after manager Aaron Boone had gone to the mound to pull the right-hander that New York acquired from Pittsburgh at the trade deadline last Thursday. "I said, 'I'm going to take you here.' And he gave me a look like, no you're not," Boone said. "He absolutely wanted the ball and, you know, felt like his stuff was still there. ... What a great, gutsy effort." Bednar's 18th save overall this season came in his third appearance for the Yankees (61-54), who remained ahead of Texas for the American League's third and final wild-card spot. They have a day off before opening a three-game series against AL West-leading Houston at home on Friday night after Bednar's first two series with New York were on the road. Bednar had two strikeouts to end the eighth and two more to open the ninth before Corey Seager walked on six pitches and Marcus Semien grounded a 3-1 pitch through the right side of the infield for a single. Bednar, already at a season-high 36 pitches and with cleanup hitter Adolis García headed to the plate, initially didn't see his new manager walking toward him. "I was just kind of getting my mind right to face García," Bednar said. "I told (Boone) I wanted him and, you know, he agreed. And I just wanted to bear down and get that last one." Bednar struck out García, finishing with a season-high 42 pitches for his most since 43 in an eight-out save for the Pirates at St. Louis on June 15, 2022. It was the third time this season Bednar recorded five outs, and the second in his week with the Yankees. "That was awesome, especially that last one," said Paul Goldschmidt, whose pinch-hit solo homer in the seventh broke a 2-2 tie. "To go out out there and make those pitches was huge." ___ AP MLB:
