The Yankees' 2025 season ended at the hands of the division-rival Blue Jays after the club's 5-2 loss in Game 4 of the American League Division Series on Wednesday night. And while the Yankees' underachieving pitching rotation and lineup—not counting presumptive American League MVP Aaron Judge and rookie Cam Schlittler—should bear the brunt of the blame, that's not always how it works in the big leagues. Manager Aaron Boone, the leader of the club, will have to wear the loss, and ultimately will be the first to go when the day arrives that Yankees brass believes changes are needed.
It appears that that day has not yet arrived, as Boone, while speaking to reporters on Wednesday night after the loss, said he expects to return as manager in 2026 given that he's "under contract." And indeed he is. The Yankees in February of 2025 announced a two-year contract extension for Boone, and he has been publicly backed by both general manager Brian Cashman and Managing General Partner Hal Steinbrenner in the past.
So, whether Yankees fans like it or not, Boone will be back in '26—and possibly beyond. But that doesn't mean his performance should be above judgement, especially in comparison to past Yankees skippers.
So, with postseason performance in mind, let's take a deep dive into how Boone measures up against past Yankees skippers, with a few important caveats as distinctions.
How Aaron Boone's postseason record compares to past Yankees managers
Note: Managers are ranked in terms of postseason winning percentage. Boone will only be compared to managers who have managed the Yankees at least as long as he has, eight years. Managers with an asterisk spent the entirety or part of their tenures as manager of the Yankees prior to the addition of the League Championship Series and Division Series.
Billy Martin has a (!) next to his name because he managed in the League Championship Series, an important distinction from the asterisked managers.
Breakdown of Boone vs. other Yankees managers
For each of their World Series wins, the likes of McCarthy, Stengel, Huggins and Houk simply had to finish with the best record in the American League, earning their respective clubs a pennant and a bid in the World Series. So, as impressive as their records are, it's difficult to compare Boone to those skippers simply because they played in a completely different playoff format to today's game. Likewise for Billy Martin, who did manage in a League Championship Series but never had to deal with a Division Seres or wild-card round.
So, that leaves Torre, arguably the greatest Yankees manager of all time when considering all these variables, and Girardi, Boone's predecessor, as the only logical comparisons to Boone. And even Torre, as great as he was, never had to navigate a wild-card game or wild-card round such as Girardi and Boone have.
All that said, there's no doubt that Boone's postseason track record leaves a lot to be desired. He's come under fire for some decisions he's made—bringing in Nestor Cortes to face Dodgers star Freddie Freeman in the World Series last year, then removing ace Max Fried in the seventh inning of Game 1 of the wild-card round this year. He's managed exactly as many playoff games as his predecessor Girardi did, and failed to post a better winning percentage or win a World Series. When looking at Boone's postseason ledger through that lens, it's hard to consider his tenure as Yankees manager a success, given the fan base's championship-or-bust mindset.
But, there are two important caveats to consider. First, Boone, a little less than a year ago, managed the Yankees to the World Series, even though the club didn't ultimately emerge victorious. Second, Boone has a respectable .581 regular-season winning percentage, proving that he's far from a disaster class in the dugout as some might lead you to believe.
Finally, Boone has had to manage in a baseball landscape that's entirely different from those of past Yankees managers, even Girardi. The ever-growing influence of analytics and the average front office's power in wielding these newfound tools has completely changed a modern baseball manager's job description. Unlike how it was even in the days when Torre was perched on the top stoop of the dugout, it's difficult to tell just how many decisions are made solely by the manager and how many are swayed heavily by the front office. Discounting the role that the front office plays in Boone's success—or lack thereof—in terms of roster construction and strategic decision-making feels disingenuous, even though he's ultimately the public face behind many of those decisions.
Bottom line
Boone has fallen short of the lofty expectations that come with being Yankees manager when you consider his postseason record as a whole. There's no doubt about it. But there are many other factors at play to consider when evaluating his playoff shortcomings.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as How Aaron Boone's Postseason Struggles Compare to Other Yankees Managers.
