Stephen A. Smith makes bold prediction about Aaron Boone's future with Yankees

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Stephen A. Smith makes bold prediction about Aaron Boone's future with Yankees

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Matt Wadleigh | Last updated Oct 7, 2026 11:37 AM ET

The New York Yankees lost Game 3 in the ALDS against the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday, ending their season.

Ahead of the elimination, Stephen A. Smith said he thought a Yankees loss could be the end of the road for manager Aaron Boone.

“I’m not wishing this, but I think Aaron Boone will be fired,” Smith said during an episode of “First Take.”

“You can not lose the way that the Yankees lost in Game 2 the other night,” Smith added. “You can’t look like the modern-day version of The Bad News Bears.”

"I’m not wishing this, but I think Aaron Boone will be fired." —@stephenasmith on what a loss to Tampa could mean for the Yankees’ future https://t.co/nUaQSroakj
— First Take (@FirstTake) October 7, 2026

The Yankees had three errors in the first inning of Game 2 en route to a 5-2 loss and a 2-0 series deficit.

New York lost Game 1 on Saturday, 1-0, although Rays pitcher Drew Rasmussen dazzled with just one hit in eight innings as he flirted with a no-hitter.

Still, Boone’s future in the Bronx is up in the air, and he is finishing up his ninth season as the team’s manager, which ended in a sweep.

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