Yankees, Phillies on High Alert as Aaron Boone, Rob Thomson Receive Grim Playoff Update

Some division races are still up for grabs, like in the NL West, the Dodgers are holding off the Padres, the Astros are battling the Mariners, and the Blue Jays are trying to stay ahead of the Yankees and Red Sox. But no matter who takes those division titles, all of these teams are playoff-bound. So the lingering suspense about whether the Yankees would even make the postseason is basically over.

The bigger question now is: is it just about getting in, or is it about winning it all? Well, for the Yankees, it’s always championship-or-bust, and the Phillies are in that same boat this year. They’ve built the roster, spent the money, and set their sights squarely on a World Series ring. Hence, falling short might not be good enough. And if it happens, managers like Aaron Boone and Rob Thomson could end up paying the price. How?

“The Yankees certainly need to make the playoffs for Boone to retain his job. The big question is how deep in the playoffs they need to go for Boone’s job to be secure?” MLB insider Bob Nightengale said. “If the Phillies have another early exit, it may not be his fault, but Thomson could be the one to pay the price,” he added further.

Well, after last year’s brutal World Series loss, the Yankees are under heavy scrutiny, and, as expectedly, Aaron Boone is right in the spotlight. Like most managers, he’s an easy target when a team underperforms. Now, with the AL playoff field looking as wide-open as it’s been in years, an early exit would spark some tough questions for Brian Cashman at the season-ending press conference. That said, the Yankees are basically locked into the postseason. So it’s now time to check how deep to go in the postseason to secure Boone’s job.

The Phillies, meanwhile, don’t have any cushion. They’re out of excuses, and with no injuries to their everyday lineup, they’ll enter October at full strength. And that puts the pressure squarely on Rob Thomson. Yes, the front office hasn’t set a clear benchmark, but realistically, anything short of at least reaching the NLCS could leave his job in serious jeopardy.

The Yankees and Phillies managers lead with blown-up decisions

It’s not that the teams like the Yankees and Phillies are facing problems with injuries and lineup slumps only. Managers’ controversial decisions are also to blame.

Well, the Phillies closed out May and brutally opened June, dropping tough games to both the Braves and Brewers. And to make matters worse, the Brewers swept them in Philadelphia for the first time since 2015. Notably, in the series finale, Rob Thomson made a costly managerial call, or rather, a lack of one.

Reportedly, in the sixth inning of a 5-2 loss, he stuck with Weston Wilson instead of going to Max Kepler, missing out on the platoon advantage and stronger defense. Sure enough, Wilson later misplayed a fly ball that sparked a disastrous inning for the Phillies.

Meanwhile, over in New York, Boone took some heat for his own controversial decision. Despite Devin Williams clearly struggling and seemingly losing his closer role earlier in the day, Boone still handed him the ball in the 10th inning against the Astros. The move backfired quickly, as Williams turned a 2-2 tie into a 5-2 deficit. The Yankees ended up falling 5-3 in that one.

Hence, it’s their several blow-up decisions that made the job tough for Boone and Thomson. And now, it’s only a respectable ending would make it easy.