Aug 12, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt (48) reacts after a double during the seventh inning against the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Yankees Manager Made Right Ninth-Inning Decision

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Jack Markowski | Last updated Oct 1, 2025 2:00 PM ET

There's plenty to criticize from the New York Yankees' 3-1 loss in Game One of the Wild Card Series to the Boston Red Sox, but not pinch-running for Paul Goldschmidt in the bottom of the ninth inning was a completely sensible decision by manager Aaron Boone.

Looking for a spark to begin the final frame of regulation down two runs against former Yankee and shutdown reliever Aroldis Chapman, Goldschmidt lined a single the opposite way into right field as the leadoff hitter.

It was a good piece of hitting by a seasoned contact hitter in Goldschmidt who has traditionally mashed against left-handed pitching, and it also meant Aaron Judge would come up as the tying run with nobody out.

New York was officially in business once Judge scorched a single up the middle, leaving Goldschmidt at second base. From there, Cody Bellinger blooped a single into left field to load the bases with no outs, and it seemed as though the Yankees had a real chance of pulling off a comeback.

Goldschmidt, whose sprint speed registered in just the 21st percentile at 26.1 feet per second this season according to Baseball Savant, didn't score on Bellinger's single, which was excusable considering it wasn't immediately clear the ball would fall in for a hit.

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

What drew the ire of some Yankees fans, however, is the fact that he didn't come around to score on a fly ball by Jazz Chisholm Jr. to right field with one out in the inning. Though Goldschmidt's run technically wouldn't have meant anything in that situation since New York was down by two, perhaps him coming across the plate would've put more pressure on Chapman and Boston while also drumming up some momentum for the Bronx Bombers.

From there, Trent Grisham struck out as the Red Sox thwarted the Yankees' comeback attempt and put them on the brink of elimination entering Game Two.

There were certainly some questionable decisions made by Boone, including not starting a pair of star left-handed batters in Chisholm or Ben Rice against Boston's ace in Garrett Crochet even though he's a southpaw, but pinch-running for Goldschmidt was nowhere near a necessity in the ninth.

Even if Boone had put Jasson Domínguez in to run for Goldschmidt, there would've been no reason to send him around to score either on Bellinger's single or Chisholm's fly ball simply because the risk far outweighed the reward of having him try and cross the plate with a run that wouldn't have mattered in the grand scheme of things.

Again, Boone deserves flak for certain choices, but not pulling Goldschmidt in the ninth shouldn't be one of them.

Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more!