If New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone was ever truly on the hot seat amid his club’s prolonged summer slump, he’s likely saved his job in recent weeks as the Yankees gear up for another playoff run.
We can’t say the same for the rest of the Yankees, both in terms of the overall roster and the coaching staff. Veteran outfielder Trent Grisham has positioned himself for a massive payday in free agency, as has Cody Bellinger if he declines his $25 million player option. We’ll see whether the Yankees opt to trade former top prospect Jasson Domínguez, given his defensive struggles, and a divorce with reliever Devin Williams is all but guaranteed.
As for the coaching staff, that’s a more complicated conversation. Although fans have regularly criticized hitting coach James Rowson, the Yankees lead the majors in home runs (245) and OPS (.782). Their .248 club average is slightly better than the .246 league average, so we won’t be surprised to see Boone justify keeping Rowson.
Then, there’s pitching coach Matt Blake and base coaches Travis Chapman (first base/infield) and Luis Rojas (third base/outfield). A case can be made that all three should be dismissed, especially considering the Yankees’ pitching and baserunning problems.
Tuesday’s 12-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers, one where Yankees relievers Fernando Cruz and Mark Leiter Jr. both failed to record an out in a nine-run seventh inning, should only amplify the calls for Boone to replace Blake — and rightfully so, as much as it might pain some Yankees fans to hear.
ok this is wild pic.twitter.com/sGaZVoLCfN
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) September 10, 2025
The Yankees need to consider firing pitching coach Matt Blake
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman previously publicly admitted that the team took a “risk” hiring Blake, whose experience as an on-field position coach was limited when he joined the Yankees in November 2019. In fact, Blake spent 2016-20 working on Cleveland’s developmental staff, and he’d only been a pitching coach in the Cape Cod League during the 2015 season.
“Whatever’s been thrown his way, he’s so even-keeled and level-headed,’’ Cashman told reporters in December 2022.
To Blake’s credit, he’s done an overall good job in his six seasons with the Yankees. Talented lefty Nestor Cortes blossomed into an All-Star under Blake, as did former Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Clay Holmes. We can also include Wandy Peralta and Luke Weaver among the more recent success stories.
However, the time has come for a change, even as the Yankees’ 3.97 ERA is significantly better than the league-average 4.18 mark entering Sept. 10. Only the Los Angeles Angels (3.9) and Chicago White Sox (3.8) average more walks per nine innings than the Yankees, who are tied with three other teams at 3.6.
Then, there are the blown saves. Don’t let the Yankees’ 64% save ratio (barely above the league average 63%) fool you, because some of the collapses have been dreadful. The less said about that Aug. 1 collapse against the Miami Marlins, the better.
That’s not to say that Blake deserves all of the blame, not when Williams and Camilo Doval were the ones actually pitching. Considering his recent track record, he’s a fine pitching coach who would likely latch on somewhere else fairly quickly. With that said, the Yankees need to make some adjustments if they fail to win the World Series, and Blake could very well become the scapegoat.