That night it was possible to believe Joe Girardi was cementing a long-term contract.
The Yankees manager had to take the ball from Luis Severino one out and a 3-0 deficit into a wild-card game against the Twins. Girardi faced the crisis by beginning a four-reliever relay of Chad Green to Tommy Kahnle to David Robertson to Aroldis Chapman. The masterful orchestration of 26 outs from his bullpen was central to the Yankees rallying to win 8-4.
Perhaps at no other time — even during the 2009 championship season — was Girardi as widely hailed.
Girardi, though, never did get that extension. The 2018 Yankees manager was in the ballpark that night, talking about Girardi’s tactics while seated next to Dan Shulman and Jessica Mendoza.
Aaron Boone laughed when asked about the oddity of going from broadcasting a wild-card game at Yankee Stadium on Oct. 3, 2017, to managing one exactly a year to the day later — Oct. 3, 2018, The Bronx, versus the A’s. What a long, strange year it’s been.
“Maybe a little bit when I saw a picture with my buddies of them playing golf in Arizona at my old country club, it hit me that I would [normally] be playing golf now,” Boone said of a life-changing 365 days. “Now, we have moved back East. That is like another lifetime now. Wow, I am really doing something different now.”
That is about as animated as Boone gets during a 20-minute chat. He listens to questions, leaves some dead time to ponder which route to pursue in response and then mostly chooses to avoid too much self-analysis. It is all pleasant, as it has been all year. There is not the constant paranoia and edginess that were inherent with Girardi.
Boone’s serenity was one of his selling points, especially as contrast to his predecessor. He projects calm in a way that Girardi — clenched jaw — never did, despite Girardi’s expertise and success. Boone, though, is about to face a greater level of inspection.
It should be remembered that three days after Girardi was lauded for genius, he was lambasted for failing to challenge a hit by pitch against Cleveland’s Lonnie Chisenhall in the sixth inning of Game 2 of the ALDS. A replay would have revealed the ball actually hit the knob of Chisenhall’s bat. The failed challenge began an avalanche that led to an Indians victory and a two-games-to-none lead.
Suddenly, Girardi’s Yankees future looked in peril. The Yankees rallied to beat the Indians and surge all the way to Game 7 of the ALCS. Girardi still lost his job. As it turned out, Brian Cashman already had his recommendation in mind — before the bullpen orchestration in the wild card and the replay recriminations of the Division Series.
But the quick flip on Girardi from celebration to humiliation is a reminder just how scrutinized baseball October is. Boone heads to that cauldron for the first time and if the Yankees, for example, do not survive Wednesday, Boone can expect quite a compare and contrast that he could not get out of the game that Girardi did — and that is whether he makes a publicly disputed decision or not.
“That’s part of it,” Boone said of dissection of every postseason maneuver. “I knew that coming in. I will be and we will be as prepared as we can be coming in and then you live with the results. But I love going into it with the group that we have.”
Boone’s first season was mostly nondescript. When asked in what area he felt he had an impact, Boone deferred to what those around him thought.
In general, Boone avoided seismic blunder and never — at least publicly — revealed an area of excellence, nor of incompetence. His team had 95-100-win talent and won 100 games. Boone relied heavily on pitching coach Larry Rothschild in that area and he worked with less angst with the analytic wing than Girardi. Those in the know say he was an early advocate for a strong pursuit of J.A. Happ, and the acquisition of the lefty was vital. He seemed to relate well one-on-one with his players and worked to get them — even the newbies — to feel invested in creating and carrying on a culture of professionalism.
Boone said “nothing overwhelmed” him in his first full season, but that he remains “green” and learning daily. What did he enjoy his most in the year since leaving the broadcast booth?
“Shaking hands at the end of [a win] is special and I do not take it lightly,” Boone said. “I love that every day. I know how many people pour so much into it and it is not easy to win a game. That is like a pause for a job well done, nice going. I really enjoy that.”
How many more post-win handshakes does Boone have left? The answer will do much to shape the perception of his first year on the job.