Everything Aaron Boone said after Yankees blow Game 3: 'They outlasted us tonight'

The New York Yankees were one pitch away from their biggest win in over a decade. Aaron Judge had finally delivered when it mattered most, Giancarlo Stanton had followed with a homer of his own and a 3-1 deficit had turned into a 4-3 lead in the eighth inning of Game 3 of the ALCS against the Cleveland Guardians. By the ninth inning, it was 5-3, and Cleveland was down to its final out with New York's star closer, Luke Weaver, on the mound. One more pitch, and the Yankees would have a commanding 3-0 lead and be one step away from their first World Series appearance since 2009.

And then everything fell apart. Lane Thomas doubled, Jhonkensy Noel launched a game-tying, two-run homer, and one inning later David Fry walked the Yankees off to bring the Guardians right back into this best-of-seven series. Now New York needs to pick itself up off the deck just to avoid an outright collapse.

After a loss like that, how a manager responds is crucial. Especially when that manager is Aaron Boone, who made a whole lot of decisions that didn't make a ton of sense in Game 3 — from lineup construction to bullpen management. Despite the defeat, Boone was defiant when speaking to the media afterwards, defending his beleaguered bullpen and vowing that his team would have no trouble bouncing back in Game 4.

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Aaron Boone answers questions after Yankees' heartbreaking loss in Game 3

Getting testy with a reporter

Boone showed some uncharacteristic fire in the postgame press conference, snapping at a reporter who asked whether the Yankees felt they "had the game in the bag" after Judge and Stanton gave New York a late lead. It was a ridiculous question — really, is Boone about to say that he relaxed in the late innings of a playoff game? — and Boone treated it in kind.

'We'll be ready to roll tomorrow'

A loss like New York took in Game 3 makes you question how the team will respond mentally and emotionally, but Boone didn't seem to have any concerns about his locker room's ability to bounce back for Game 4. "Sucks losing like that obviously," Boone said, "but we'll be ready to roll tomorrow.

No concern about Luke Weaver's workload

Boone also faced questions about his bullpen management in the ninth and 10th innings. Weaver had been sensational throughout these playoffs, but he's also racked up some serious mileage on his right arm, including appearances in each of the first two games of this series. But Boone went right back to him in Game 3, bringing Weaver in with two outs in the eighth inning to try and get a four-out save.

Asked after the game whether he thought fatigue had anything to do with Weaver's blown save, Boone shot the idea down: "I mean, playoffs," Boone said about the idea that Weaver might be tired. "You try to save as many bullets as you can, but thought overall he threw the ball pretty well."

Weaver himself said his body was feeling fine and he liked the way the ball was coming out of his hand, he just didn't execute his pitch at a crucial time. But with New York's bullpen short on reliable high-leverage options and two more games to come before the next off day, how Boone manages Weaver will be worth keeping an eye on.