It's a good thing the New York Yankees have to stay in Los Angeles for a few more days. Because Aaron Boone is public enemy No. 1 in New York right about now.
The Yankees manager made a series of questionable decisions that effectively handed Game 1 of the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers. First, he opted to put Nestor Cortes on the mound despite him going a month without pitching. Then he decided to intentionally walk Mookie Betts to set up a matchup between Cortes and Freddie Freeman. Freeman, of course, promptly hit a walk-off grand slam.
Boone's reaction to the swing really did say it all: He knew in that moment that he'd screwed up.
Aaron Boone's reaction says it all 😬 pic.twitter.com/EUJCfA0Hwv
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 26, 2024
Yankees fans also made it clear they thought Boone got it wrong. Twitter was full of complaints about Boone's decisions and his legacy.
Best memes and tweets reacting to Aaron Boone's Game 1 decisions
Many fans just needed to vent about how stupid the manager was and how costly his mistakes were.
Aaron Boone is a bonehead … like, what?!
— Ashley Nicole Moss (@AshNicoleMoss) October 26, 2024
is there something larger than a galaxy that we can name Aaron Boone’s managerial decisions there after
— Jarrett Seidler (@jaseidler) October 26, 2024
Just remember when the Yankees fall short of their goal this year, that the manager decided to put in a guy who hadn't thrown a pitch in over a month to close out a World Series game.
— Bronx Bomber Ball (@BronxBomberBall) October 26, 2024
Shocking, that it blew up in his face.
Fuck you Aaron Boone.
Other fans went as far as calling for Boone to be summarily fired.
i want aaron boone fired tonight actually
— caity (@ktmob_) October 26, 2024
Big Tone Here
— Big Tone Here (@BigToneHere) October 26, 2024
Aaron Boone you’re fired
I don’t care if we win the next 4 games
You’re done
One fan brought up Boone's own epic walk off and how all the good feelings from that moment were being eroded by his managerial record.
I think that bullpen management should retroactively void Aaron Boone's 2003 ALCS walk off home run.
— extremely pleasant mail delivery guy (@dumbmailguy) October 26, 2024
Rival fans felt a bit differently. They loved not only having Boone managing the Yankees, but managing them so poorly.
aaron boone hitting that home run was the best thing to happen in red sox history
— vivienne ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა ≪ (@sunshinevvn) October 26, 2024
Buck Showalter has been waiting YEARS for someone to make a worse pitching decision than him, so he owes Aaron Boone a beer. https://t.co/mLtJ5zukL1
— Earl F***ing Weaver (@EarlFckinWeaver) October 26, 2024
Aaron Boone pitching Nestor Cortes for the first time in a month is the kind of decision which shows you just why the Yankees haven’t been in this position for 15 years.
— Astros Fans UK (@AstrosFansUK) October 26, 2024
The Yankees had a chance to take Game 1 and grab a firm hold on the series. They had a one-run lead in the 10th inning and needed just one out. But Boone made the wrong decisions and his players didn't bail him out on it.
Now, the Dodgers go into Game 2 with a 1-0 lead and all the momentum of a dramatic extra innings win. Every game is a blank slate, but the Yankees could be paying for this missed opportunity for a long time.