After yet another disappointing season that ended in postseason elimination at the hands of the Houston Astros once again, the Yankees don’t appear to be making any changes at the managerial position this offseason.
On Wednesday, owner Hal Steinbrenner gave manager Aaron Boone, who just completed the first year of his current three-year deal, his vote of confidence despite the team’s ugly exit from the playoffs.
“As far as Boone’s concerned, we just signed him and for all the same reasons I listed a year ago, I believe he is a very good manager,” Steinbrenner said. “I don’t see a change there.”
While it’s true that in his five years as manager of the Yankees, Boone has never posted a season below .500, has never finished below second place in the AL East and has made the playoffs every single year, it’s also true that the team has never made it past the ALCS.
And despite the postseason being nothing more than a crapshoot, for a team with a storied history such as the Yankees and their 27 World Series championships, having not played in a World Series since 2009 — the last time they won it all — can be a cause for concern.
That concern grows when you consider that Boone has a regular season record of 427-281 but just a 14-17 record in the playoffs in his five seasons leading the team.
This season, New York ran out of the gates with a 61-23 record as many around the league considered the team to be one of the best in franchise history. After that start, the Yankees finished with a 38-40 record and got pushed to the brink in five games by the Cleveland Guardians in the ALDS before getting swept by the Astros in the ALCS.