Aaron Boone walked to the mound in the seventh inning on Saturday night with a huge choice to make. His starting pitcher, Ryan Weathers, was tired. He had thrown a career-high 106 pitches. The Yankees were losing 3-1 to the Athletics, and star reliever Camilo Doval was waiting to replace him. However, Boone chose to stick with Weathers to face Nick Kurtz.

That decision came back to bite him. Kurtz crushed the very next pitch 410 feet for a two-run home run, extending the lead to 5-1, and Boone regrets his choice.

“I feel like kind of kicking myself,” Boone said, per Talkin’ Yanks on X. “Probably after he got the second out, through the bottom, I wanted to keep their lefties on the bench there. But I think, definitely a case there to go for the leadoff hitter.”

During the 107 pitches he threw against the Athletics on Saturday, Weathers was mostly successful. In 6.2 innings, the left-hander struck out 10 hitters while throwing 65 strikes.

But he started his outing surrendering a two-run shot to Shea Langeliers in the first inning. The Yankees failed to overcome that two-run lead throughout the game. Tyler Soderstrom added to the lead with a solo homer of his own. But it was the seventh inning, and Weathers’ last that turned things for the worse.

Weathers retired the first two hitters when he entered the seventh inning. Then, he walked Colby Thomas on a full count pitch, and it was Nick Kurtz’s turn for his next at-bat. Boone walked out to the mound but ultimately opted to stick with the starter for a left vs left combination. The strategy backfired badly.

After the game, Boone explained why he stuck with Weathers, admitting that he should have paid more attention to pitch count.

“I don’t question leaving him in there for Kurtz, I’m going to take my left-on-left shot there with two outs,” Boone reportedly explained. “But after he got those first two, and throwing quite a few pitches to that point, that’s the one where maybe I go to Doval there.”

Following Weathers outing, the inning ended with a groundout with Doval on the mound. Jake Bird surrendered a one-run single, keeping the Yankees trailing 6-1 before the last inning.

For most of the game, the Yankees’ hitters did nothing against Oakland starter J.T. Ginn. Their only early run came in the fourth inning when Cody Bellinger scored on a bad throw by the second baseman.

But in the ninth inning, they suddenly woke up. The A’s pulled relief pitcher Jack Perkins after he loaded the bases as Trent Grisham walked, despite getting two outs. Taking over a runner, Scott Barlow allowed three walks in a row to Ben Rice, Aaron Judge, and Cody Bellinger. At 6-4, the bases were loaded, and the Yankees had the tying run on second base. But Jazz Chisholm Jr, who was up next, grounded out to end the inning and the game.

Saturday’s loss snapped the Yankees’ five-game winning streak, while the Athletics won the first game after four straight losses. Following the loss, Ryan Weathers reflected on his latest outing.

Ryan Weathers takes blame for latest loss

The Yankees signed Ryan Weathers on a 1-year, $1.35 million contract ahead of this season. The southpaw holds a 2-3 record so far, posting a 3.52 ERA and a 3.85 FIP. While skipper Aaron Boone is regretting his decision not to pull Weathers when he still had time, the pitcher has shouldered the blame.

“I put them in a bad spot, giving two runs up in the first,” Weathers said, per NY Post. “This is a game of momentum, so if we don’t score, I got to put up a zero and just keep momentum. We create momentum if we score, and same for them. I gave them momentum early, and this is a game of that. I just can’t do that.”

Though Weathers has taken the blame for giving the Athletics an early lead, he did not get any run support throughout his time on the mound. The Yankees had scored only one run before the ninth-inning rally.

According to the NY Post, across Weathers’ 11 starts, the Yankees’ lineup produced only 2 runs or fewer for the eighth time. The post reported that the batters have scored only 2.95 runs on average per nine innings when Weathers throws.

The starter left the ground to slam his glove and throw some objects in the dugout while getting out the night’s frustrations. But he ended it with a positive message for the long season ahead.

“It’s a tough one to swallow, but just got to move on from it,” stated Weathers.

Leveled at 1-1, the Yankees play the Athletics on Sunday again to secure the series.