Manager Aaron Boone tried to take a page out of the Rays’ playbook to beat Tampa Bay, but it backfired without crucial buy-in from his pitcher

1. https://nyti.ms/3iMFWOd
ON BASEBALL
The Yankees Tried a Sneaky Move With All the Wrong Pieces
Manager Aaron Boone tried to take a page out of the Raysʼ playbook to beat Tampa Bay, but it
backfired without crucial buy-in from his pitcher.
By Tyler Kepner
Oct. 7, 2020 Updated 10:32 a.m. ET
The Yankees tried to beat the Tampa Bay Rays at their own game in their American League division
series on Tuesday. But they failed to grasp how that game is played.
The Rays — who won by 7-5 to even the best-of-five series at one game apiece — pioneered the
opener strategy in 2018. The idea was to use a reliever in the first inning to limit their opponents’ run
expectancy, then replace him with a young starter who would begin against a weaker part of the
order. It made sense for the Rays, whose low payroll keeps them from signing many veteran starters.
The Yankees attempted this on Tuesday as a surprise to counter a lineup the Rays constructed to face
right-handed Deivi Garcia. After one inning, Yankees Manager Aaron Boone switched to a lefty, J.A.
Happ, who worked two and two-thirds innings, gave up four runs and lost.
The problem was choosing Happ, a 14-year veteran, for a role that did not suit him. Happ, 37, broke
into the majors with a Philadelphia team that cultivated veterans like Jamie Moyer, Cliff Lee, Pedro
Martinez and Roy Halladay, mentors with hundreds of wins and thousands of innings who likely
would have sneered at the concept of an opener.
When the Rays came up with the concept, they understood that not all pitchers would like it. In
explaining it at the time, Chaim Bloom — then a top baseball officer for the Rays and now Boston’s
president of baseball operations — emphasized the importance of buy-in.
“You can think that you’re putting your players in a good spot to succeed all you want,” Bloom said in
May 2018, “but if they don’t think that, then it’s got to mitigate some of that effect.”
Happ did not seem to agree with his bosses on Tuesday. He measured his words carefully after the
game — “If I’ve made an excuse for my performance in the last two years, anybody can speak up;
that hasn’t happened,” he said — but left no doubt about his feelings. He deferred all strategic
questions to Boone, and said Boone and the coaches knew he preferred to start.
“They know how I felt about it, but ultimately when I pitch, you’ve got me — there was no hesitation
and no dwelling on what was going on,” Happ said. “I was focused on trying to perform. I wish I
would have done a better job.”
Then Happ was asked, simply, if he had been put in a position to succeed. He did not say yes.
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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/07/sports/baseball/ja-happ-aaron-boone-yankees.html
Tyler Kepner
8 min read
The Yankees Tried a Sneaky Move With All
the Wrong Pieces
on baseball
Manager Aaron Boone tried to take a page out of the Rays’ playbook to beat Tampa Bay, but it
backfired without crucial buy-in from his pitcher.