In rut with RISP, frustration boils over for Boone, Yankees

August 8th, 2023

CHICAGO -- Yankees manager Aaron Boone had seen enough by the waning innings of Monday’s 5-1 loss to the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Boone was ejected by home-plate umpire Laz Diaz in the eighth inning, after rookie shortstop Anthony Volpe was called out on strikes, and he made sure to get his money’s worth. Boone argued with Diaz while simultaneously putting on a lengthy display at the plate.

At one point, Boone drew lines in the dirt to make his point, and at another, he seemingly imitated Diaz’ strikeout call. But his frustrations went beyond that one pitch -- which appeared to be a strike.

“I actually heard Anthony’s was a strike, maybe,” Boone said. “I just thought there were a ton of pitches all night, culminating I think with DJ, a couple of pitches in his at-bat where he struck out with first and third there.”

After a Billy McKinney sacrifice fly cut the Yankees’ deficit to 2-1 in the seventh, LeMahieu came to the plate with runners at the corners and one out. He struck out looking on a four-seam fastball from Lane Ramsey that appeared to be off the edge. He took a first-pitch strike on a slider that appeared to miss the zone, too.

The Yankees’ frustrations started much earlier in the game, though. Boone also pointed to Gleyber Torres’ plate appearance in the first inning, when he walked on six pitches, including a pair of called strikes on the outer half.

But for as much as the Yankees bemoaned Diaz’ strike zone, that was far from their biggest problem Monday night. They scored only one run despite tallying six hits and eight walks, including seven free passes off White Sox starter Dylan Cease.

They finished 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position and left 13 runners on base.

“It’s on us to still break through,” Boone said. “We had our chances tonight. It’s not about the umpiring. We’ve got to capitalize.”

Along with Sunday’s 9-7 loss to the Astros, this is the first two-game span in franchise history that the Yankees have left 28 runners on base, in a pair of nine-inning games, while losing both times.

The Yankees loaded the bases in the second, sixth and seventh innings Monday, with one or fewer outs, but came away with a single run scored:

• They loaded the bases on three straight walks in the second and didn’t score.

• They didn’t score in the sixth, as White Sox first baseman Andrew Vaughn robbed Jake Bauers of a potential two-out, bases-clearing, extra-base hit on a diving stop.

• They scored once in the seventh on McKinney’s sac fly.

“It seems like there’s good days and bad days, right?” Bauers said of the state of the offense. “Tonight, I know personally I lacked an approach, chased a lot of those sliders inside and couldn’t come up when we needed it.”

The missed chances at the plate squandered a strong performance from Gerrit Cole, who allowed five hits and was charged with four runs in seven-plus innings. Two of those came on one swing, a two-run homer by Vaughn in the second, and the other two came after he exited.

Cole gave up back-to-back singles to start the eighth, and both runners came around to score after the Yankees went to the bullpen with Tommy Kahnle. The first single, against outfielder Gavin Sheets, was on a cutter near the inner half of the plate.

Elvis Andrus followed by poking a single to right field, off a cutter on the outer edge.

“Potentially got a little bit greedy trying to get the double play there,” Cole said of the Andrus matchup. “He was able to serve that through the four hole as well. Those are well-executed pitches for the most part.”

It’s the first time Cole was charged with more than three earned runs since May 28, when he allowed five. It also marked the first time the Yankees lost a game, coming off a loss, when Cole was on the mound this season. They had been 9-0 in those scenarios.

“He was great again. I actually thought he got sharper later in the game, too,” Boone said. “That’s probably as sharp as he was there in the seventh. It’s been so fun to watch how consistent he’s been. Gives up the two-run homer in the second and just doesn’t flinch, and that’s all they get.

“You’ve got your ace on the mound. We’ve got to go throw some [runs] up there, because he did his job tonight.”