Yankees, Aaron Boone facing pressure to cash in with World Series run

No MLB franchise is facing more pressure to win this postseason than the New York Yankees. Despite owning more championships than every other team remaining combined, the Yankees last appeared in a World Series in 2009. 

New York fans have high expectations, which demand far more from their team. Anything shy of a pennant will likely mean the end of Aaron Boone's tenure as manager. 

The Yankees lead the American League Division Series 2-1 thanks to edging out the Kansas City Royals 3-2 on Wednesday night. Even though Aaron Judge continues to struggle — he's hitting .091 in the postseason through three games, Giancarlo Stanton came through, going 3-for-5 with a two-run home run in Game 3. 

While the Yankees entered the playoff field as the American League's No. 1 seed and won 94 games during the regular season, New York fans are still cautiously optimistic that Boone, who has guided the Yankees since 2018, will get this team through October. 

Many speculated that the Yankees would finally move on from Boone after failing to reach the postseason in 2023, but New York decided to stay the course and give him one more shot. 

"Boone is an asset, not part of the problem," one high-ranking Yankees official told Andy Martino of SportsNet New York in August 2023. 

However, Yankees fans are getting restless and the pressure is now firmly back on Boone. To this point, Boone has only led New York to the American League Championship Series twice and has suffered a pair of postseason exits at the hands of the rival Boston Red Sox. 

Those results will not be acceptable for a franchise that's enjoyed 27 World Series titles and 40 pennants throughout its history and consistently operates with one of the highest payrolls — roughly $325M in 2024 — in all of MLB.  

When speaking with reporters, including Bryan Roch of MLB.com, Yankees long-time general manager Brian Cashman voted in Boone while also mentioning that the team has an option for 2025 to decide on. 

"He’s signed through a contract, and I'm certainly happy to have him as our manager, as you all know. I think we have an option on him, and so I’ve got nothing more to add, other than let's try to find a way to beat Kansas City," said Cashman.

But the expectations are clear no matter what Cashman may say in the middle of a postseason series. Another playoff disappointment, especially as the top seed, could lead to New York finally firing Boone. 

The pressure is now on Boone to achieve postseason success for the Yankees as a manager to match the big moment he accomplished as a player wearing the pinstripes.