Boone Calls Out Austin Wells' Costly Base-Running Decision in Yankees' Loss to Rays

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone acknowledged catcher Austin Wells was guilty of "not a good decision" when he got thrown out at third base in the eighth inning of Saturday's 1-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.

Rays starter Drew Rasmussen had a no-hitter through two outs in the eighth before Wells doubled to right field. The veteran backstop tried stretching it to a triple but was thrown out in plenty of time.

"Not sure if he saw something on his way between first and second that caused him to go there," Boone told reporters after the game. "But, obviously, a mistake there."

Wells, for his part, said he thought the ball took a bigger bounce off the wall than it did.

"[Rays right fielder Victor Mesa Jr.] made a good play on the ball," he told reporters . "Two outs there, you know, I'm trying to make something happen. Be aggressive with not much going on in the game. But, you know, obviously, I would love to be safe there or standing on second base."

The long-held wisdom in baseball is to never make the first or last out at third, which Wells was guilty of.

His aggression was understandable to a degree. The Bronx Bombers had done nothing against Rasmussen, who struck out 10 and walked two batters, to that point. Getting somebody on third would've meant New York was a bloop hit or an error away from tying the game.

Wells might've had just an easy time scoring from second on a base hit, though. With two outs, he would've been running on contact.

The series is far from over, and the Yankees have ace Cam Schlittler taking the mound for Game 2 on Monday. Should they go on to exit in the American League Division Series, Wells' gaffe will take on a larger significance.