The New York Yankees managed to come away with a 4-1 victory last night over the Cleveland Guardians in Game 1 of the ALDS.
Gerrit Cole pitched a gem, and the Yanks got some clutch hits from Harrison Bader, Anthony Rizzo, and Jose Trevino.
But there was one incident that took place that ended up biting the Yankees.
Josh Donaldson thought he had gotten a hold of one and sent it out of Yankee Stadium, so he began trotting across the base paths as if it were a home run.
But the ball stayed in play, at least according to the umpires, and the Guardians ultimately managed to catch him between first base and second base and retire him on the play.
One insider called out Yankees manager Aaron Boone for letting Donaldson get away with “lallygagging” too many hard-hit balls that weren’t home runs during the season.
This is Aaron Boone’s fault. He let Josh Donaldson get away with lallygagging non-HRs on multiple occasions. Never put his foot down.
Now it comes back to bite them in a big spot.— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) October 12, 2022
Boone Takes Heat For Miscue
While Boone is getting some heat for what took place, some could be directed towards Donaldson as well.
To be fair, the ball looked like a home run, and it even appeared to hit the top of the wall, so perhaps the umpires may have gotten it wrong.
Regardless, it’s hard to direct blame at Boone for this.
He’s a manager who shouldn’t have to tell his players to hustle, especially the 36-year-old Donaldson, who has been in the league since 2010.
Ultimately, there are multiple ways to look at it.
One could argue that Donaldson should have been hustling.
An argument could also be made that the ball hit the top of the wall, which it appeared as if it had, and that the umpires got it wrong.
Donaldson was still credited with a single for the at-bat, despite being thrown out at first base.
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