Dave Roberts Reacts to Aaron Boone's Costly Decision in Yankees' Loss to Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers opened the second half of the season with a big win over the New York Yankees on the road.

Down 1-0 in the seventh inning, the Dodgers finally got on the board with a massive two-run home run from Max Muncy to take the lead.

Prior to Muncy's at-bat, however, Yankees manager Aaron Boone came out of the dugout to talk to starting pitcher Gerrit Cole, and appeared ready to take him out of the game.

Instead, he decided to leave Cole in to face the left-handed Muncy, and the Dodgers' All-Star third baseman made him pay.

Max Muncy DESTROYS a 2-run shot to the second deck for a @Dodgers lead 😤 pic.twitter.com/j40oNhZ8r4
— MLB (@MLB) July 18, 2026

Cole was dominant through the first six innings of the game, and Boone decided to stick with his veteran pitcher. In this instance, it just didn't work out.

Following the game, Boone got some blame for the choice to leave his ace in the game too long rather than turn to a left-hander in the bullpen.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts weighed in in the decision, giving some support to his fellow manager.

“It was a tough decision for Boonie,” Roberts said. “Obviously you’re thinking about going to the ‘pen, or do you let your ace go after Max and [Kyle] Tucker. And Max spoiled some good pitches and then got a pitch in his wheelhouse and put a good swing on it.”

Boone explained the decision to leave Cole in, and in hindsight, it did make sense. After all, Cole is the ace of the Yankees' staff, and the manager trusted his guy to get Muncy out following a tough at-bat against Mookie Betts that ended in a walk to lead off the inning.

“I was feeling the situation out. Obviously in hindsight I should grab him there,” Boone said of the decision. “He pitched so well. I felt he was competitive in the Mookie at-bat. I felt like he had enough to get Max. He jumps out in front of him then he got a mistake. I’ve got [left-handed reliever Brent] Headrick teed up there. That’s on me.

"I should probably get him there even though I felt he was in a good place, threw the ball great tonight. Sometimes you’ve got to take it out of their hands.”

Before Muncy's home run, the Dodgers and Yankees were in a pitchers' duel. Dodgers starter Roki Sasaki put together a strong performance on the road, helping keep the team in the game until the offense woke up.

Sasaki saw an uptick in velocity in his fastball in this game, with him topping out at 101.8 mph, which was a career high for the right-hander in MLB. Overall, Sasaki threw 21 pitches that came in at 100 mph or harder, which is the most of any Dodgers player since tracking began in 2008.

"I think it’s one of those things where he wanted to get off on the right foot in the second half," Roberts said, "and he did just that.”

Los Angeles was able to hold on to win the game by a score of 2-1, starting the second half on a high note. But the decision by Boone is the story of the game, with the Dodgers again taking advantage of a mistake from the Yankees.

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