The New York Yankees are standing on the edge of their season, and Aaron Boone isn’t blinking. As the Bombers prepare for Game 3 of the American League Division Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, the Yankees’ manager made one lineup decision that immediately caught attention: rookie Ben Rice stays in, while veteran Paul Goldschmidt will sit.
It’s a move that says everything about how Boone views this team right now — not with fear, but with conviction. Down 0–2 in a best-of-five, every pitch, every swing carries the weight of October.
For Boone, this isn’t the time to second-guess the players who’ve carried the Yankees’ offense through much of the stretch run.
Understanding the Matchup: Bieber’s Reverse Splits
Toronto sends Shane Bieber to the mound, and that alone makes this matchup intriguing. The former Cleveland Guardian has been an unusual case this season. His 2025 campaign has featured what scouts call “reverse splits,” where right-handed hitters have actually performed much better against him than lefties. The numbers tell the story: right-handers have hit .297 with a .936 OPS off Bieber this year, while lefties have managed just a .156 average and a .434 OPS.
Still, Boone isn’t buying too much into those stats — at least not enough to overhaul his approach. He believes that those reverse splits even out over time, and he’s probably right. Bieber’s career numbers paint a far more balanced picture: lefties at .240, righties at .231. In other words, what looks like a glaring imbalance might just be baseball’s version of static — a little noise amplified by the small sample size of one season.
That’s why Boone stuck with his regular lineup against right-handers. It’s a choice rooted in trust — trust in process, in preparation, and in players who’ve delivered when it mattered.
Betting on “The Threat of Benny”
Boone’s most interesting decision came at first base. Instead of turning to Paul Goldschmidt, who’s often penciled in against lefties, the skipper is rolling with Rice. The 26-year-old rookie has earned Boone’s faith with his power and poise under pressure.
On keeping Ben Rice in over Paul Goldschmidt despite Shane Bieber’s splits, Boone told reporters, “it’s about the threat of Benny — the chance for him to really wreck the game.”
That word — threat — carries weight. Rice may not have Goldschmidt’s résumé, but he’s been a lightning rod for this team’s energy. In this postseason alone, he’s hit .267 with an .846 OPS, including a home run, double, and four RBI. Goldschmidt’s line is even better in a smaller sample — 1.142 OPS — but Boone is banking on Rice’s rhythm and ability to change a game with one swing.
Baseball often rewards feel as much as math, and Boone’s call reflects that. When a season teeters between survival and collapse, managers lean on instinct. Boone clearly senses Rice has another moment left in him.
Familiar Foe, Unforgiving Stage
The Yankees won’t be blindsided by Bieber. They’ve seen him plenty from his days with Cleveland — the heavy curveball, the fastball he spots on the corners, the cutter that sneaks under barrels. There’s no mystery here, only the question of execution.
And that might be what this entire night comes down to. The Yankees don’t need to decode Bieber; they need to outfight him. Boone’s lineup — steady, defiant, and anchored by Rice’s bat — embodies that mindset.
If this season were a movie, the Yankees would be in the scene where the hero stares down the odds with everything crumbling around him. Boone’s script choice is clear: no panic, no gimmicks — just belief in his guys to turn the story around.
For now, the spotlight shines on Ben Rice. One swing could rewrite the Yankees’ October fate.
More about: New York Yankees
