LeMahieu, Grisham, Boone, Rojas all fueled Yankees' abominable Guardians loss (2024)

If you'd like to watch baseball these next few days, keep your eyes on the Cleveland Guardians, a modern club blended with throwback ideology. They have the fearsome, deep bullpen of recent champions like the 2015 Royals, but pair small ball effectively with surprising pop, led by a steady hand whose baseball instincts are second to none in Stephen Vogt.

But, if you insist on watching something other than baseball -- more specifically, a good will squandering jumble led by several of the sport's most fundamentally unsound players, a fan favorite who requires us to invent a new word for "regression," and a manager who always seems to be able to turn the game into a sloppy mess, no matter his personnel -- then the Yankees may yet satisfy you.

Forget the lost leads, the shutouts, the Clay Holmes meltdowns, and the rivalry games tossed in the toilet. Tuesday's loss to the Cleveland Guardians was the season's worst, given how many times it was presented to the Yankees as a rousing home win on a silver platter, as well as just how many blunders they crammed into the game's body against a team that takes a mile when you give them an inch.

The Yankees gave the Guardians a full ruler, providing 75 additional chances to capitalize for a team that's been slumping on offense for weeks now. And, in terms of assigning blame, let's just say it's a lot like the Yankees entering a deadlocked bottom of the inning with a free runner on second and nobody out: it's gonna stay a tie.

Fitting that Tuesday night's loss was the longest game of the 2024 regular season. It felt twice as long as any root canal.

Who to blame? Alex Verdugo, for posting an 0-for-6 night and never even giving a hint that he might come through with the winning run on third and two outs in the 10th, as well as letting a popup drop in the 11th that, somehow, didn't affect the final score? Trent Grisham, who bumbled around third, finishing his trademark loaf around the bases by being tagged out after a double to the very top of the wall? Luis Rojas, the third base coach who stopped him, then sent him? "Send" was the correct decision, by the way. There was no reason he shouldn't have scored, especially after we watched Jose Trevino's mad dash in the fourth. Plus, if he'd stayed at third, who would've gotten him home? Surely not the Yankees offense.

What about DJ LeMahieu, two years past his post-prime, for waving over the most telegraphed 0-2 slider possible with a win sitting inches away in the 11th? When LeMahieu signed his contract, it seemed likely that the worst he'd ever be was a reliable bench bat on a winning team. Then, he knocked his foot off its moorings, and his skills receded, then disappeared. Hand up. Did not see that coming.

Or perhaps you blame the man who allowed LeMahieu to bat with runners on first and second with one out in the sixth, the Yankees' last real chance before the Guardians' bullpen went on overdrive? He grounded into a double play, at which point the empowered Guards started matching the Yankees' bullpen pitch for pitch -- and credit to both bullpens. The one wearing pinstripes deserved better.

Of course, the man who refused to replace LeMahieu with Austin Wells against a left-hander later watched Wells destroy a double to the top of the center field fence, then nearly rip another in the 11th until Daniel Schneemann caught it with a leap. The second came off lefty pitching. Despite battling all night long against their own repeated malfeasance, they were still that close.

In extra innings, one manager made every proper decision at the margins to minimize his opponent's chances of success. Ultimately, each game comes down to player execution. All a manager can do is play the probabilities, ride his gut, and put his players in a position to succeed. Guardians skipper Stephen Vogt intentionally walked both Aaron Judge in the 10th (of course) and Anthony Volpe in the 11th (daring), putting the bat in LeMahieu's hands.

Boone? He opted out of intentionally walking Jose Ramirez in the 12th, turning 4-3 into 5-3 into 8-3 and 9-3, eventually. For a man who defends his players loudly every time he's challenged, he isn't very fond of maximizing their chances of on-field success, which seems like a pretty good way to avoid criticism.

There's no wrong answer here when assigning blame. But there's nothing going right for Aaron Boone's Yankees once again, for a harrowing fourth consecutive summer swoon. Will Brian Cashman sign off on a fifth next season?