With a runner on and the tying run at the plate in the bottom of the eighth, Aaron Boone elected to let Michael King pitch to Shohei Ohtani, with the Yankees holding on to a 3-1 lead.
That decision backfired in the worst way, as Ohtani cranked a two-strike fastball on the outer half over the left-center field wall for a game-tying home run, the 35th of the season for the All-Star Ohtani, who flipped his bat as he admired the no-doubt blast.
It was the latest hiccup for the struggling King, though Boone told reporters after the game that he did not consider putting the tying run on base by intentionally walking Ohtani.
“No,” Boone said. “Maybe if he had gotten to second base and fallen behind in the count or something, but no, not there.”
Boone had intentionally put Ohtani on earlier in the game to load the bases with Luis Severino on the mound, and Severino was able to escape the threat.
The Yanks never recovered from Ohtani’s home run, losing 4-3 in the 10th for their seventh loss in their last nine games.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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