On Monday, Aaron Boone announced his plan for the "bullpen being unleashed" in Game 4 of the ALCS.
The Yankee manager told reporters that much of who is available for the planned pen game depends on how Game 3 unfolds after Luis Severino's outing, and mentioned J.A. Happ as a potential factor.
"Depends a lot on what happens tomorrow," said Boone. Happ, who started 30 games in 2019 and struggled most of the year with a 4.91 ERA, lost Sunday night's game after giving up a home run to Astros shortstop Carlos Correa. Including the regular season, the walk-off shot was the 35th homer Happ allowed in 2019.
Boone didn't name an "opener" for Game 4, referring to the relief pitcher used in the first inning before giving way to the rest of the relief corps, adding, "We'll kinda see where we're at on the next day." Chad Green has filled the role for most of the season, pitching to a 3.72 ERA in 15 starts and striking out 32 in 19.1 innings.
Despite Game 2's outcome, Boone stressed that he has "a lot of confidence in our 12 and 13th pitchers." The Yankees have a less traditional pitching approach, especially compared to Houston's ace-caliber trio of Justin Verlander, Zack Greinke and Game 3 starter Gerrit Cole.
"The bottom line is: so far through the postseason through five games we've pitched really well, including last night's game where we lost," Boone said.
