Is the Aaron Boone era in New York nearing its end? Boone's New York Yankees currently trail the Tampa Bay Rays 0-2 in the American League Division Series. Stephen A. Smith of ESPN believes Boone will be fired if the Yankees end up being eliminated in the ALDS, something he said during the latest edition of ESPN First Take.
“I'm not wishing this, but I think Aaron Boone will be fired (if the Yankees lose),” Smith said. “I really do. You cannot lose the way that the Yankees lost in Game 2 the other night… You can't have three errors in the first inning, you can't look like the modern day version of the Bad News Bears. That cannot happen.”
Smith continued by calling out the Yankees' lack of “baseball fundamentals” as well as their defensive woes.
The Yankees have remained committed to Boone since hiring him back in 2018. New York has failed to win the World Series since 2009, but Boone has kept the ball club in consistent contention since taking over the manager job. Regular season success isn't enough in New York, however. Smith believes an early postseason exit this year will lead to Boone's firing from the Yankees.
Article Continues BelowIt remains to be seen if Boone's job is truly in jeopardy. The manager has faced rumors similar to this before. In fact, Boone was rumored to be on the hot seat last year, but he ultimately returned for the 2026 campaign.
Winning is the best solution for Aaron Boone to ensure his job will be safe. New York will attempt to bounce back in the ALDS. Game 3 is scheduled for Wednesday.