Yankees News, 6/28: Gerrit Cole explains his awful performance against Boston, Aaron Boone on hot seat?

Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees

Entering the season, the Boston Red Sox weren’t assumed to be an elite team this year, but having swept the New York Yankees for the second time this season, it seems as if expectations have polarized. Boston overcame the Yankees 9-2 on Sunday as they pulled ahead in the AL East standings. The Yankees now sit 6.5 games back from the Red Sox in first place and six games behind the Tampa Bay Rays.

After pulling within 3.5 games of first, the Yankees now sit near the bottom of the division, only ahead of the Baltimore Orioles, who’re 23 games back and showcasing another embarrassing season.

However, starting pitcher Gerrit Cole struggled considerably in the outing, watching his ERA bubble to 2.66. Over 5.0 innings, he allowed eight hits and five earned runs, striking out just six batters while giving up three HRs. In the first three innings, Cole allowed six runs before Aaron Judge hit a two-run blast to drive in DJ LeMahieu. Unfortunately, there was no way Boston was walking out of Fenway without sweeping the Yankees in front of their home fans.

“Yeah, you hit the nail on the head right there, I couldn’t get the breaking ball down, couldn’t get the fastball where we wanted to,” Cole said. “I tried to make a good pitch to Devers and absolutely pulled it into the wrong part of the zone.

“The first pitch of the game was poorly located, as well, and he put a good swing on it, so a bit of credit to Kiké there. … As the game went on, I think things started to progress a little better, but at that point, much of the damage had been done.”

At this point in the season, it seems field manager Aaron Boone could be on the hot seat. When you have the highest payroll in baseball and can’t string together a few wins and produce consistency, it suggests a possible management change. Some are already curating rumors of different managerial candidates that could fit the bill if Boone is fired after the season. There’s no doubt the clock is ticking, and the Yankees could be looking for a different style of manager come 2022.

Of course, an option like Buck Showalter might be of preference, given his experienced career. Even third base coach Phil Nevin could be an alternative when considering his experience with the club.

However, Boone still has a bit of time to right the ship, but if things continue to tumble and the Yankees can’t drag themselves out of the basement, there’s a good chance Boone could find himself looking for work in a few months.