All the excuses Aaron Boone made after blowing Yankees chances in Game 1

Aaron Boone and the New York Yankees should have been celebrating on Friday night in Los Angeles. They aren't. And, to be frank, it's Boone's fault.

Boone obviously wasn't the only one responsible for the Yankees giving away a Game 1 victory to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He didn't tell Aaron Judge to strike out three times. He didn't instruct Juan Soto to misplay balls in right field. And he certainly didn't want Nestor Cortes to give Freddie Freeman a pitch he could launch into the stands.

Still, Boone is the manager and his decisions contributed to the loss, perhaps more than the play of any of his batters, outfielders or pitchers.

How did Boone explain himself after the game? None of his answers will be satisfying for Yankees fans. (Mostly because none of his answers can turn back the clock and prevent the loss.)

Aaron Boone postgame press conference after Yankees' Game 1 loss

Let's start with the big one. First, Boone was asked about intentionally walking Mookie Betts to bring Freddie Freeman to the plate. He said he liked the lefty-on-lefty matchup. Clearly, Freeman liked that matchup more as he took the first pitch deep.

When asked about bringing in Cortes despite the fact that he hasn't pitched since the middle of September, Boone said he'd looked good in practice.

"Reality is he's been throwing the ball really well in the last few weeks as he's gotten ready for this," Boone said. "I knew with one out there it'd be tough to double up Shohei if Tim Hill gets him on the ground. Then Mookie behind him is a tough matchup. So, I felt convicted with Nestor in that spot."

He may have felt confident about the decision, but it clearly didn't work out.

Despite the frustrating loss, Boone expects his team to bounce back.

"Win, lose or draw tomorrow, we'll be ready to roll. We've already talked about it. We're good."