As Aaron Boone prepared for Game 4 of the World Series on Tuesday, his focus was on the unprecedented task in front of him, not the future.
No Fall Classic club has ever overcome a 3-0 deficit, and Tuesday theoretically could have been Boone’s last game as Yankees manager. So the skipper was asked about his contract status before the Bombers beat the Dodgers, 11-4, forcing a Game 5.
However, Boone didn’t have much of an update to provide.
The 51-year-old, now in his seventh season as Yankees manager, said that he has not talked about his contract status with the team yet. Asked if he expects that to happen soon, Boone said, “I have no idea.”
“I’m trying to win a game,” he added.
After taking the Yankees to their first World Series since 2009, the expectation is that Boone will return. The Yankees have a club option on him for the 2025 season, and it wouldn’t come as a surprise if the two sides discussed an extension.
While Boone received some criticism for some of his pitching decisions in the Yankees’ Game 1 World Series loss, the baseball lifer is coming off a pennant, an American League East title and a 94-68 record, the third-best mark in baseball. With a 603-429 overall record, Boone is the seventh-winningest manager in franchise history.
“I’m certainly happy to have him as our manager,” Brian Cashman, under contract and also expected back, said of Boone during the ALDS. The general manager added that the team would address offseason decisions once the offseason began.
Yankees players are also glad to have Boone as their manager.
While he hasn’t always been the most popular among fans, Boone has strong support in his clubhouse, starting with Yankees captain Aaron Judge. Others regularly speak out in favor of the manager.
“He takes a lot of heat and keeps firing, keeps going forward,” said Giancarlo Stanton, who has also heard his fair share of criticism since joining the Yankees before the 2018 season, Boone’s first as manager. “That’s why he’s one of the anchors for us.”
