It took one game for these MLB managers to make crushing postseason mistakes

Every decision is heightened in the MLB postseason. Whether it be a lineup, rotation or roster, every manager is bound to be second guessed, and when those choices turn into mistakes, it leads to angry fanbases across baseball. The MLB Wild Card series was no exception, with tragic flaws from three losing managers they could come to regret. Thankfully for the likes of Aaron Boone, Mike Shildt and Stephen Vogt, the Wild Card round is a best-of-three series, rather than a best of one.

The Guardians, Padres and Yankees all fell at the hands of their playoff opponents, albeit by different means on Tuesday. Some of these wounds were self-inflicted, while others were toss-ups that could've, frankly, gone either way.

For example, you'll notice Craig Counsell did not make this list. The Cubs manager opted to pull his starting pitcher, Matthew Boyd, after just 58 pitches and 4.1 innings. The Cubs bullpen was lights out after the fact, and Counsell rightly described his bullpen as perfect postgame, as FanSided's Robert Murray detailed:

"In Chicago, with a much larger payroll, the Cubs had every reason to be optimistic. There has, of course, been ups and downs. But Counsell has shown in Chicago that he is one of the best managers in baseball, especially one of the best managers at maximizing and deploying his bullpen," Murray wrote.

Counsell is also the most expensive manager in the game. Not every fanbase can be so lucky.

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Stephen Vogt relied on the wrong type of Guards ball

There's little the Guardians could've done on Tuesday against Tarik Skubal, who is the best pitcher on the planet. Skubal will win his second straight AL Cy Young award when the season is said and done, and he struck out 14 Guardians hitters for anyone doubting that assessment. After the game, Vogt was sure not to throw his team under the bus, suggesting that any team would've struggled against the Tigers ace in Game 1.

“The way Tarik Skubal threw the ball tonight, I don’t know if anybody scores off of him,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. “He was absolutely outstanding. Took a little bit of Guard Ball turmoil there just to get one. … But he was some kind of special today.”

Vogt is right, Skubal was special. However, his lineup construction didn't necessarily help matters. As Guardians fans were quick to point out, Cleveland's obsession with platoon players who otherwise wouldn't sniff the starting lineup of a true contender is getting out of hand. Look no further than Jhonkensy Noel, who hit just .162 in the regular season and looks lost at the plate even when he isn't facing Skubal, receiving regular at-bats against the best pitcher in baseball.

It should get much easier for Cleveland the rest of this series, as they face Casey Mize and Jack Flaherty, but Vogt ought to get out of his own way.

Mike Shildt loves his lefties a little too much

The Padres lineup construction is a bit off. San Diego lost to the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday in Game 1 of their Wild Card series at Wrigley, and as much as we need to praise Counsell for his bullpen management, we must also ask questions of Mike Shildt. The Padres lineup featured three straight left-handed hitters. That's a third of their entire group, making it all the easier for Counsell to match out of the 'pen.

To make matters worse, the Padres will turn to Dylan Cease in Game 2. While Cease is a former ace who should receive a nice contract this coming winter, his postseason struggles are well-documented. He had a 4.55 ERA this season, and appears to be making this start based on stuff and vibes alone.

“Dylan’s been good, thrown the ball more consistently lately,” said Shildt. “... He’s thrown the ball well here. He’s thrown the ball well against this club. And he’s Dylan Cease. He’s got a big arm. He’s the guy that we feel is best suited for Game 2.”

Sure, he is Dylan Cease. But is this really the version of Dylan Cease you want pitching with the season on the line? The Padres will find out, even if it's the hard way.

Aaron Boone pulled Max Fried well before he needed to

The New York Yankees fell in painful fashion to the Boston Red Sox in Game 1 despite a near-perfect performance from ace Max Fried, who they signed to an eight-year, $218 million contract this winter. Fried reversed his postseason narrative, as he had a playoff ERA over five entering Tuesday's game. However, that didn't stop Aaron Boone from pulling Fried in the seventh inning with a one-run lead.

To Boone's benefit, Fried had thrown over 100 pitches. In any regular-season contest, it would've been normal and expected to pull Fried at that point. However, it was Boone's mistake to trust his bullpen, namely Luke Weaver, who had an ERA over nine in September. The end result was predictable for Yankees fans, as Weaver and the Yanks 'pen couldn't hold the lead.

Boone did not trust his ace in a critical situation. In the opposite dugout, Alex Cora kept Crochet in the game well past that 100-pitch marker. Crochet threw 117 pitches, striking out 11 Yankees in nearly eight innings pitched. It was the tale of two strategies, and the Yankees paid the price.