Yankees’ World Series Struggles Highlighted by Managerial Decisions and Tim Hill’s Underutilization

The New York Yankees are facing significant criticism for their managerial decisions in the 2024 World Series, particularly the underutilization of reliever Tim Hill. As the Yankees trail the Los Angeles Dodgers 0-2 in the series, fans and analysts are pointing to several key moments where manager Aaron Boone‘s choices have had detrimental effects on the game outcomes.

In Game 1, Boone’s decision to bring in Nestor Cortes instead of Tim Hill in the 10th inning has been widely questioned. With two left-handed hitters, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman, due up, the logical choice seemed to be Hill, who has an under 1 ERA in the postseason. However, Cortes was chosen, and in just two pitches, Freddie Freeman hit a walk-off grand slam, ending the game.

Statistically, Hill has a noticeable advantage over Cortes in several key metrics, including barrel rate, groundball rate, and average exit velocity. This has led many to argue that Hill should have been the go-to option in that critical situation.

In Game 2, another questionable decision involved leaving starter Carlos Rodón in the game despite him battling finger issues. Rodón was seen wiping blood on his pants, and his struggles led to back-to-back home runs by Teoscar Hernández and Freeman, quickly turning a 1-1 game into a 4-1 deficit. The lack of action from Boone to address Rodón’s injury has been criticized as a key factor in the Yankees’ loss.

While Boone’s decisions have been a focal point of criticism, it is also acknowledged that other factors, such as the Yankees’ offense and key players like Aaron Judge‘s performance, have contributed to their struggles. Judge has had a rough postseason, going 1-for-9 with six strikeouts in the first two games, and the Yankees lineup as a whole has struggled to produce hits.

The debate surrounding Boone’s managerial decisions highlights the complexities of managing in high-pressure situations and the need for both the team and the manager to improve if they hope to turn the series around.