The Yankees will attempt to play through the raindrops on Monday afternoon in what will be their final home game of the 2023 season.
But could it also be Aaron Boone’s final game in the Bronx as Yankees manager?
With the Bombers now officially eliminated from postseason contention, Boone was asked about that very topic ahead of Monday’s makeup game with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
“No, I don’t worry about it. It’s, again, out of my hands,” Boone said about his job security heading into the offseason. “I’m completely comfortable with who I am and the things I can control. My job is to, in my mind, doing everything to head into the offseason to prepare to put us in a better position to try to compete for a championship. That’s what the goal is. Until they take that away, that’s my focus.”
Following Sunday’s loss to the Diamondbacks, captain Aaron Judge didn’t mince words when asked about the state of the franchise, saying “We've got a lot to work on, a lot of things to change and a lot of stuff going on around here that needs to be fixed."
Boone agreed with that assessment, though he wouldn’t get into the specific areas where he believes change is needed.
“I think there are things that we need to change and fix and make sure we’re on the same page with everything, and we’ll be asking those questions and kind of deep diving into every part of our organization and making sure we’re in a better place and better able to sustain and fortify and absorb the inevitable adversities that a [162-game season has] and the challenges it brings,” he said.
“I’m thinking about things all the time. There are layers of organizational things that you have your personal thoughts [on]. Things that we’ll get into at length. Unfortunately, we’ll have a lot of time for that.”
When the Yankees take the field on Monday, it will mark the first regular season game that Boone has managed with his team mathematically eliminated from postseason play, as the Yankees previously made the playoffs in each of Boone’s first five seasons.
So whether or not this is indeed Boone’s final home game at the helm, Monday’s game will certainly have a different feeling than any other the 50-year-old has managed.
“The reality of it hits yesterday when you hear and know you’re eliminated, even though you realize the last couple of weeks you’re up against it and everything has to fall in place perfectly and it’s a little bit of miracle at that point,” Boone said. “But when you hear the reality that you’re eliminated, it is sobering.”