Yankees' Boone defends pulling Fried as bullpen fumbles Game 1 - ESPN

NEW YORK — Yankees manager Aaron Boone's in-game pitching decisions were under the microscope yet again after he pulled starter Max Fried amid 6⅓ scoreless innings Tuesday night, as New York's bullpen faltered in a 3-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series.

Boone said he actually planned to lift Fried after the sixth inning, but Fried inducing a double play and sitting on 99 pitches prompted him to reconsider and let his ace lefty get one more out in the seventh.

Fried did that, and then Boone went to his bullpen. Luke Weaver walked the first batter he faced and allowed a double and Masataka Yoshida's pinch-hit two-run single. David Bednar gave up back-to-back hits in the ninth to give Boston some breathing room.

Boone defended his decision on the basis that Fried faced increased pressure in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings and had to work hard to get through them.

«I felt like his command was not as good those final few,» Boone said. «He's just making so many big pitches, and his stuff was good. He gave us what we needed and felt really good about the outing he put forth, but I felt pretty convicted. Especially we got the double play, it's like, 'Let's go get one more hitter and be good.'»

Fried allowed just four hits and threw 63 of his 102 pitches for strikes, and the Yankees led 1-0 on Anthony Volpe's solo home run. Fried beat Jarren Duran in a race to first base for the final out he recorded and felt he «had enough in the tank for whatever the team needed.»

«I definitely felt good at the end, coming out feeling good,» Fried said. «I'm going to stay in until I get the ball taken from me.»

Boone made that call and handed it to Weaver, who has not been the same since returning in June from