MLB playoff takeaways: This could be Aaron Boone's last chance

The divisional round of the 2025 Major League Baseball playoffs continued on Sunday with the two American League series taking place. It was a good day for the home teams as the Toronto Blue Jays took a commanding 2-0 series lead over the New York Yankees, while the Seattle Mariners got even with the Detroit Tigers thanks in part to two home runs from Jorge Polanco and another clutch hit from Julio Rodriguez. 

Here are some key takeaways from Sunday's games.

Aaron Boone's last ride for the Yankees?

It seems that Boone has been on the hot seat in New York for some time now, and while an American League pennant may have bought him some time coming into 2025, it's hard to imagine the Yankees not making significant changes this offseason if ALDS keeps going the way it has been against the Blue Jays.

Especially if they lose on Tuesday night and get swept out of the postseason.

And even more especially if they get completely dominated and blown out again without really putting up much of a fight. 

They have been outscored 23-8 through the first two games, as the Blue Jays have continued to demonstrate they are simply a better team than the Yankees.

Is Boone responsible for all of the Yankees' issues and shortcomings?

No. At some point, the players have to deliver, and the roster has its share of flaws once you get beyond some of the top players. But this is New York and these are the Yankees, and every year that passes without another World Series title is another year too many. 

Boone's job has remained safe for a while, but this is his eighth year in the team's dugout with no championship. No Yankees manager has ever made it that long without winning a World Series. 

General manager Brian Cashman's job has been pretty much untouchable, despite some really flawed rosters in recent years, while his World Series drought is approaching 16 years. 

If they get swept, or even if they lose the series in any number of games, you have to imagine some real changes are on the horizon. 

Tigers miss huge opportunity with ace on the mound

On one hand, the Detroit Tigers have to be happy with the fact that they went on the road to Seattle and took home-field advantage away from the Mariners by taking Game 1 of their ALDS series. But they had a chance to really take control of the series in Game 2 with their ace, Tarik Skubal, on the mound.

Skubal, to his credit, pitched a strong game, going seven innings, striking out nine and allowing just two runs on two Polanco home runs. 

While he would probably like to have those two pitches back, and while he may not have been as dominant as he was in Game 1 of the wild-card series against the Cleveland Guardians, it was still a strong start and one that easily could have been good enough to produce a win and a commanding 2-0 series lead.

The problem was the Tigers' bats just went totally quiet for the night, collecting only three hits against five different Mariners pitchers. 

The only two runs came on one swing of the bat when Spencer Torkelson delivered a two-run, game-tying double in the top of the eighth inning. 

The game did not remain tied for long when Rodriguez doubled in Cal Raleigh in the bottom of the inning for the go-ahead run. 

The Tigers still have to feel good going back home tied in the series, but they might regret letting a strong Skubal start slip away.