At the end of what he described as a “difficult year for me personally,” Aaron Boone indicated he still expects to be back for a ninth season as manager of the Yankees.
“I’m under contract, so I don’t expect anything,” Boone said after the Yankees lost 5-2 to the Blue Jays on Wednesday night in The Bronx, dropping the ALDS 3-1.
During spring training this year, Boone signed a two-year contract extension that will take him through the 2027 season, which would be his tenth at the helm.
But he continues to search for the organization’s first championship since 2009 as the heartbreak piles up.
“I know for me personally, and for a lot of those guys, it also continues to fuel the fire when you want to come back and play in meaningful games and have a chance at glory,” Boone said.
VIEW THE LATEST BIG EAST STANDINGS AND ST. JOHANNES STATISTICS
The Yankees started and finished the season strong, with a rough summer in between that took too long to get out.
Through it all, Boone’s players and general manager Brian Cashman continued to support him and defend how he led them through the rollercoaster of a season.
“Just a tough year,” Boone said. “There were just some tough moments, but it was also very rewarding in many ways to experience some of the moments we went through in the middle of the season.
“To see this kind of team come together in a very special way. That’s a close bond – and I feel like we’ve gotten so much better in the last few months of the season. So it’s been a very tough year for me, that’s all. And it’s not about me, but that’s all I said. But it’s also very rewarding to persevere and see what these guys have become.”
For the first time since Game 1 of the AL wild-card series, Boone started veteran Paul Goldschmidt at first base over Ben Rice as he looked to fully balance the lineup between left-handed and right-handed bats against the Blue Jays’ bullpen game.
The 38-year-old Goldschmidt, who said after the game that he wants to keep playing, went 0-for-1 with a walk and a hit by a pitcher before Rice pinch-hit him in the seventh inning and drew a pair of walks.
In addition to his stellar defense at third base, Ryan McMahon consistently delivered some of the Yankees’ best hitting during the postseason and was rewarded in a left-to-left home run that tied the game in the third inning. It was his first career playoff home run.
#Aaron #Boone #Yankees #future #describing #season #tough #year #personally