On February 20, the New York Yankees announced that they had signed a two-year extension with manager Aaron Boone, keeping him in New York through 2027. That's good news for the rest of the AL East, including the Boston Red Sox, who hope to make a run at the division title this year.
Boone's had plenty of regular season success during his tenure. Since he took over in 2018, the Yankees have made the postseason in six out of seven seasons. However, those six playoff runs have been marked by disappointing exits, most notably two at the hands of the Astros in the ALCS and two against the Red Sox. The Yankees finally made the World Series this past year, only to lose in a gentleman's sweep to the Dodgers.
Boone's leadership in the World Series especially has come under fire. In game one, he turned to Nestor Cortes to get the final three outs after the Yankees had taken a 3-2 lead in the top of the 10th inning. Cortes is a fine pitcher, but he hadn't thrown a live pitch in over a month as he was recovering from injury. For Boone to throw him into the fray like that for his first outing back was questionable at best. It backfired on the Yankees in the most dramatic fashion, as Freddie Freeman hit a walk-off grand slam.
Red Sox fans love the Yankees' latest two-year extension for Aaron Boone
FREDDIE FREEMAN WALK-OFF GRAND SLAM. #WORLDSERIES pic.twitter.com/5MIY5CaX6a
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 26, 2024
Not only that, but Boone gave Red Sox fans some fuel with comments he made in September. After Gerrit Cole plunked Rafael Devers, Alex Cora called out Boone and the Yankees, to which Boone responded, "Chances are, we're not going to play them anymore this year. We've got too much important things going on in front of us to really get caught up in that."
With Boone in New York for the next three years, the Red Sox will be motivated to make it back to the postseason — hopefully for a matchup with the Yankees. With their new additions this offseason and the Yankees' loss of Juan Soto, the Sox will be primed to make a run at Boone's squad for the division.