Yankees manager Aaron Boone under fire for not using Clay Holmes in stunning loss

Yankees manager Aaron Boone was tasked with piecing together the bullpen for 13 outs against the Guardians on Saturday night, but 12 outs was all he would get. 

Throughout a ninth inning meltdown, Boone never called the name of all-star Clay Holmes, instead sticking with Wandy Peralta for parts of three innings and turning to Clarke Schmidt when Peralta worked himself into trouble.

Boone told reporters after the game that Holmes was only available in an "emergency," which begs the question of what constitutes an emergency. The Guardians had the tying run on base when Schmidt entered the game. 

Despite Holmes only throwing 16 pitches in Friday's Game 2, Boone said he felt he would be "in jeopardy" if he pitched in consecutive games. Holmes dealt with a right shoulder strain in the final week of the regular season. 

Holmes, however, said he was ready to pitch. "I prepared today to do my job," he told reporters, adding, "I said I was good to go if needed." 

Though Holmes hit a rough patch in the second half of the season, he's already posted two scoreless appearances in the ALDS, and the Yankees' bullpen is thin on proven options.

Yankees starter Luis Severino was caught off guard by Holmes' exclusion, telling reporters, "He's our closer. So of course I'm surprised." If Severino is willing to publicly question the decision, it's worth wondering whether the rest of the clubhouse is confused as well.

Though there isn't any indication Boone is managing for his job in Sunday's elimination game, the pressure is squarely on the fifth-year manager to avoid falling short of the ALCS for a third consecutive year.