New York Yankees‘ manager Aaron Boone was once again unsuccessful in trying to deliver a championship to the Bronx. The Bombers were eliminated by the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 in the best-of-five American League Division Series in a hotly contested matchup.
The Yankees’ skipper had to deal with all kinds of injuries and a few unexpected underperformers, like Gary Sanchez, Mike Tauchman, Miguel Andujar and company. Even still, the season was widely viewed as a disappointment.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic and the dispute between the players’ association and MLB, the league decided to implement a few rule changes for the 2020 short season. Among them were a baserunner starting at second base from the 10th inning on for both teams, seven-inning doubleheaders, and the implementation of the universal designated hitter for both leagues.
But there was one rule that the New York Yankees manager wasn’t a fan of, and it was the three-batter minimum for relievers.
While speaking on SiriusXM’s MLB Network Radio channel with Jim Bowden, Casey Stern and Jim Duquette on Tuesday night, Bowden asked: “As a field manager how did you like the new rules that were implemented? How’d you like the 10th-inning rule, the doubleheader seven innings, the universal DH, the three batter rule as a manager? And which ones would you vote for returning in 2021 and beyond?â€
Boone’s reply:
“You know what, I think in hindsight, I think I really enjoyed — in the regular season anyway — the 10th-inning thing. I think that’s something that potentially can continue to stick. I think in this season that the seven-inning double header thing made some sense. And I liked it. I could see that being something moving forward. Universal DH I liked ’cause we have the DH. So anytime we go play a National League team and Giancarlo [Stanton] or somebody’s not available, I don’t like that. So I’m all in now on the DH. And then the three-batter rule, I thought I was going to really like (it), and I don’t think I loved it in hindsight. I didn’t like it. You know, there’s too many times that the game unfolds so much different if you were playing the other way that, I thought I was going to like it because I thought, just kind of selfishly or looking at it through my team’s lens, that we’d have our guys and you’d shoot these guys for three, but I do think there’s too many games where there is that need to want this guy to come in and face a batter or two and have the next guy up. And, I don’t think that should go away.â€
There you go. The Yankees’ bullpen was in the middle of the pack when it comes to ERA, FIP and fWAR, a clear step back from the super units of 2018 and 2019.
This post was published on 2020-10-22 08:30