The Red Sox and Yankees faced off again in the first game of the Wild Card series, and it felt just like the regular season. Why? Because the Yankees performed the same as they did in the regular season. Reportedly, before this matchup, the Yankees had played the Red Sox 13 times and only managed to win three of those games. In their latest meeting, the Yankees fell 3-1.

Yes, starting their postseason run in Boston is big news, but what’s really catching attention isn’t just that. Rather, it’s a decision by Yankees manager Aaron Boone that’s raising eyebrows, particularly around Max Fried. And now it seems Fried himself might have questioned Boone over what could have been a costly call that contributed to the Red Sox victory.

“I definitely felt good at the end… I’m going to stay in until I get the ball taken from me,” Fried opened up about how he felt after being pulled out at the crucial moment.

Well,  Max Fried was absolutely dominant in the Yankees’ first game in the postseason. He tossed 6.1 scoreless innings, giving up just four hits and striking out six. But things took a turn in the sixth when manager Aaron Boone decided to pull him.

As you can expect, that move didn’t go as planned. Weaver came in and immediately struggled, giving up two runs on two hits and a walk without retiring a single batter, handing the lead to Boston. The Red Sox then added one more in the ninth. And although Aroldis Chapman managed to hold them off in the bottom half, the Yankees still fell 3-1.

The result? Boone, who’s faced questions over his managerial calls before, is now under scrutiny again for taking his star pitcher out at the wrong time. And the questions are now coming from the players.

The Yankees got their reasons for pulling out Fried

Why did Boone take the risk of pulling out their performing pitcher from the mound?

The biggest factor in pulling Fried seemed to be his pitch count. He had already thrown 102 pitches through 6.1 innings, and with the bottom of the order due up, the Yankees opted for a fresh arm. They turned to Luke Weaver- last October’s surprise postseason hero- hoping he could bridge the inning. Instead, Weaver couldn’t record an out, surrendering a hit and a run before Masataka Yoshida lined the go-ahead single.

Fried’s elevated pitch count wasn’t just about the three walks he issued. He frequently fell behind hitters, which forced longer at-bats and drove up his workload. Given the context- the Yankees eyeing a deep October run- Aaron Boone likely made the decision with the bigger picture in mind, preserving his ace for the weeks to come.

Result? The Yankees’ bullpen blew up yet another game.

The Yankees had made several bullpen moves at the 2025 trade deadline. Thus, setting things up for guys like Weaver to step in and close things out. But in this case, it backfired, and the Red Sox took the lead before an out was recorded.