Yankees melt down in extras again, Boone shrugs it off

The Yankees just dropped back-to-back extra-inning games to the White Sox, and somehow the most infuriating part wasn't the losing -- it was the manager's reaction to it. In the series opener, Ali Sanchez tried a back-pick throw to third with two outs in the 11th while the Yankees clung to a 5-4 lead. The throw short-hopped Ryan McMahon, rolled into left field, and Munetaka Murakami walked home with the tying run. Chicago won it in the 12th, 6-5. Aaron Boone's response wasn't to rip the execution -- it was to defend the decision entirely, saying, "Just gotta have a good throw. Just playing catch, so we're big leaguers, and we're not gonna not do things."

That non-apology is what set off the Barstool crew before the follow-up game even started.

whitesoxdave

@barstoolWSD

@BarstoolHubbs Wait Boone complimented him…?

The pile-on wasn't just about one bad throw. It's the pattern -- a manager who won't hold anyone accountable, on a team that's now lost 2 straight in extras on the road. The White Sox crew was living it up on the other side, with a full walk-and-talk recap on the way into the office the morning after game 1.

whitesoxdave

@barstoolWSD

Some thoughts on last nights win walking into the office a little bit ago. Let’s get the split today @thestretchpod

Game 2 didn't go much better for the Bombers. New York's offense went cold for stretches, prompting Hubbs to declare flatly, "Our offense can't hit anyone" after another scoreless-feeling stretch. Weathers gave the Yankees length on the mound, but it barely mattered when the lineup couldn't cash in. Then in the 11th inning again, Tristan Peters drew a walk that set up the winning run, and Chicago closed it out 2-1 to split the series.

Barstool Chicago

@barstoolchicago

TRISTAN PETERS DRAWS THE WALK SOX SPLIT THE SERIES

By the time the final out landed, the Yankees Twitter reaction had shifted from frustration to full-on despair. "Losing two in a row like that is a form of torture they haven't learned yet in Guantanamo Bay," Hubbs wrote, which is either the darkest or funniest thing said about this team all week -- possibly both. Marty Mush's suggestion was simpler: maybe just stop going to extra innings altogether.

Eric Hubbs

@BarstoolHubbs

Pain

None of this fixes the actual problem, which is that the Yankees can't finish extra-inning road games and their manager doesn't seem bothered enough to say so out loud. Boone defending a catcher throwing from his knees into left field as just "playing catch" is the kind of quote that's going to follow him through the rest of this stretch. Until the offense wakes up or Boone starts holding guys to a higher bar, road extras are going to keep being a horror show for New York -- and the White Sox are going to keep being happy to remind them of it.