AL DIVISION SERIES: GUARDIANS VS YANKEES

October 16, 2022

Aaron Boone

Progressive Field

New York Yankees

Pregame 4 Press Conference

Q. Aaron, going back to last night, Clay Holmes after the game, after we spoke to you seemed to think he was available throughout the course of the evening. You indicated a little bit differently. Where was the miscommunication there?

AARON BOONE: I think just that I didn't tell him he was down. And I didn't want to tell him he was down because he was certainly an emergency option, and I was leaving some things open throughout the day that would have put him in play for me. In the end, just had a tough call on it.

Q. Did you speak to him last night or this morning and if so, what was that conversation like?

AARON BOONE: Yeah. I spoke to him. Yeah. That's, you know, between him and I. You know, we kind of communicated through it and I think we're on the same page with it. You know, I think going back to it, I think it is important to say, you know, he's coming off a capsule strain and kind of sped up the return.

And part of the thought of him being on the division series roster was we're going to have Game 1, off day, Game 2, off day, Game 3, 4, 5. You know, obviously the weather threw a wrench in that, but with the built-in off days, there was a chance he would be able to be in 3 or 4 of the games in the series, which is still a chance of that happening.

So the back-to-back going into this series was always a little questionable. I was leaving it open. But I think yesterday when he came in sore, and then as the day unfolded, I just felt like it became clear to me that -- the decision to, you know, treat him as an emergency option only. Because ultimately I have to make a decision on, you know, player's health and career factors in for me big time. So it's like I put him out there, he injures himself, that's a tough thing to live with. Or I put a guy out there that I think is compromised and doesn't perform at the level, and then we're in even worse situation today.

So ultimately, you know, players are obviously always going to feel like they want to be available, and I have to make a tough decision sometimes on what I think is best for the player and the team - --

Q. In your eyes, what is an emergency situation? Is it all pitchers are exhausted and he's the last resort?

AARON BOONE: Yeah. You get in an extra inning situation late. Yeah. You have used everyone. Yeah. That's emergency.

Q. And then when is it the decision to bench Isiah?

AARON BOONE: I just feel like in this series that, you know, he's been pressing a little bit out there, playing a little bit kind of not to make that mistake, and I think that's gotten in his way a little bit. I just felt like I needed to do this today. Still expect him to play a huge role for us in what we hope is a couple more weeks of baseball, but I felt like today it was something that was the right thing to do.

Q. Aaron, just getting back to Holmes for a second, he repeatedly told us he expected to pitch, he was fine. Do you think -- are you saying he was really not fine and just a competitor in him saying, hey, I'm ready to take the ball?

AARON BOONE: Yeah. I mean, I think it is a little of both. His soreness yesterday wasn't necessarily red-flagged soreness, I think it was probably normal. But I think context matters in what he's coming back from and really in short order. So I think that kind of is factored in with it, but the competitor in him obviously is saying, you know, I can pitch. He very well may could have pitched with it. But it is ultimately a decision that I had to make.

Q. Do you regret it looking --

AARON BOONE: No. No. I don't regret it. You know, again, like it is weighing the health and safety of the player and, again, where we're at with him and his return to play, you know, coupled with some soreness yesterday and not having your normal throw program before the game.

Like, the alternative wasn't necessarily because I put him in, we save the game automatically. So there is that risk of what are you getting, as well as concern for the player too. And I also acknowledge that it could -- he could have pitched and 1, 2, 3, boom, we win, but I have to live with that decision. You know, that's one of the tough decisions that comes across that we try to make thoughtfully.

Q. Aaron, if Clay does pitch tonight and he reports sort of regular soreness, would you consider him available for Game 5?

AARON BOONE: Yes.

Q. At this point he could go back-to-back?

AARON BOONE: I would, yes. Tomorrow, yeah, in a win-or-go home, yeah.

Q. Hasn't there been signs all year with kind of Falefa having -- I don't know what the word would be, a little yippyness in pressure situations. Hasn't this moment been building to this?

AARON BOONE: Well, the thing I would say to that is when he has had those moments of, you know, making a misplay on a real routine play, he always bounces back. I feel that in some big pressure spots throughout the season he has made big-time plays. So he's always answered the bell really well after a mistake. This time I feel like it snowballed a little bit on him in this series, so that's kind of going into this.

Q. Should you guys have tried to work in Peraza earlier, when the trade deadline clears, bring him up, see if you can make him the starting shortstop at some point?

AARON BOONE: I don't know. I mean, that's a tough call. You know, at the time after the break, I don't think we necessarily viewed Oswaldo as a finished product in kind of his minor league development. So it ended up with him coming up in September after the full season in the AAA level. I think we kind of view Izzy as what we feel like has been a really good defensive season on balance and feel like, man, this guy's our shortstop.

And, you know, I think we have viewed Oswaldo as still working to get to that point and obviously have some opportunities in September and I thought played really well for us and handled himself really well.

Q. If he handles himself really well and looks good, why isn't he on the roster to play shortstop tonight instead of a guy with a lot less situation in that --

AARON BOONE: Cabrera less experienced than Peraza?

Q. As an overall shortstop?

AARON BOONE: I would quibble with that.

Q. If you had your choice tonight, who would you like to have at shortstop, Peraza or Cabrera?

AARON BOONE: Well, I wouldn't say it like that. I have a ton of confidence in Oswaldo Cabrera at shortstop, and what he brings to the table as an infielder, how he's established himself in the back half of this season.

So I have high hopes on Peraza but also feel like Cabrera is starting to establish himself and at a more advanced level.

Q. I was just wondering, the decision not to go back to back with Holmes, is that a directive from the medical staff, the doctor, or is it you hearing that it is a shoulder strain and that raises --

AARON BOONE: No. I mean, I wouldn't say a hard-and-fast decision to not go back to back, because again, I came into the ballpark yesterday with an open mind to it could be in play. We're going to be cautious with it, listen to the body, the player, what we're seeing, things like that. So it wasn't a directive necessarily. Of course, I will always, if a trainer, if somebody, you know, is no-go, then that overrules me certainly.

Q. But you would use him potentially in 4 and 5 but not in 2 and 3. Is that because emergency is equal to make-and-break? You think of make-or-break as kind of an emergency situation whereas yesterday you didn't see it as --

AARON BOONE: Part of it was his day. He came in sore, didn't do his normal throwing.

Q. Oh, I thought because he asked the question --

AARON BOONE: No. No. So if tomorrow, if he pitches tonight and is good to go tomorrow, like, he's in play. And you ratchet it up another level of win-or-go-home. I guess it does ratchet it up another level of importance.

Q. Just knowing that Holmes probably wouldn't be available, did you consider extending Trevino or Loáisiga or was that just to keep him in play for today?

AARON BOONE: I did consider extending Trevino, but at the same time, I wanted Lo there at the top of the order in that tight game. And I knew I was going short with Loáisiga because he had gotten five outs over parts of three innings the day before. So I knew I didn't want to go long with him and I knew I could go Wandy, Naylor on down.

And obviously Wandy threw well, efficient, and it put him in play to close out that game and before I eventually, you know, thought I had to go get him there at the end. So no on Lo. Lo, I was going to go short with and if that spot presented itself late at the top, I was going to go with him.

Q. When you look at the other division series you have two lower seeds knocking out the Dodgers and the Braves and Cleveland up in this series. Do you think the best-of-five format allows the lower seeds to apply greater pressure on the higher seeds. And if so how much does that pressure impact the results we have seen so far? Best of 5 as opposed to best of 7 --

AARON BOONE: It's the playoffs, best of 5 is -- it's intense, and you're playing up against other playoff teams. You know, I don't know. It's the playoffs and it is hard and it's, you know, pressure-filled. So I don't know. I mean, I'm sure we're going to -- because this is a new format, you know, at the end of all this, everyone is going to analyze it and probably frankly overanalyze it some. I think you have to do it for years to really get a real firm grasp on it. You know, there's nothing for us that's been, you know, like, we shouldn't be able to be successful.

Q. So Clay described feeling normal the day after pitching soreness. And he said that he threw it on the field but you said he didn't do his normal program?

AARON BOONE: Right.

Q. Was that his call or --

AARON BOONE: He didn't do his normal throwing program and -- yeah. I think it was fairly normal day after soreness, maybe more. Again, in context with where we're at with him so close to this injury, that played a role.

Q. Him not doing his normal -- him choosing not to do his normal program kind of indicated to you that it may be on the further side of the normal soreness than --

AARON BOONE: Maybe. I don't think it is out of -- you know, that could happen too over the course of the season if you -- you know, healthy pitcher, you have normal soreness and you choose a day not to -- that's not out of the norm necessarily.

Q. Was Nestor a factor for last night, especially for the 9th inning?

AARON BOONE: Yeah. Yeah. He was in play a lot last night. Especially early when Sevey was struggling a little bit there in the first and second, I had him up. Yeah, he was -- he was in conversation as well as Luetge, yeah.

Q. Do you think of him as possibly a piggyback tomorrow Taillon?

AARON BOONE: We'll see. We get through tonight and what we have available to us tomorrow?

Q. And just for clarity, after the game last night Holmes said he did not convey to you guys that he was limited in any way, but you're saying that he was sore. I'm assuming he told you that, which means he did convey in some way that he was limited?

AARON BOONE: Well, we knew he was sore and that treatment --

Q. You knew because he told you?

AARON BOONE: Yeah. Through his trainers and the treatments he had, stuff like that. Yeah.