BOONE HAS BACKED US IN THIS CORNER. PANIC FEELS LIKE THE ONLY WAY OUT

 The Yankees should have beat the Astros last night. They didn't. The end.

You want to look desperate? Go ahead, argue balls and strikes. You want to look like a total clown? Be my guest. But let’s get one thing straight — the Yankees should’ve won that game.

And before you say I’m being dramatic, here’s what I wrote yesterday in YANKS WIN, BUT GIVE OUTS TO ASTROS BECAUSE OF VOLPE about Anthony Volpe and the cost of “free outs”:

“...they can’t afford too many ‘Volpe moments’ dragging down the October run. We are giving outs away. In close games? We lose because of that.”

Well, guess what? Last night we lost. Last night was Exhibit A. And yeah, we’ll never know if Volpe actually connects on those swings — if those hits would’ve flipped the game — but I do know this: the best possible Yankees weren’t on the field. Williams? Really? Volpe? Again? It’s like Aaron Boone fills out his lineup card with a dartboard and a blindfold hoping to get a reach around late night after the game. it's creepy and bizarre and I don't get any of it.

Let’s talk about the game, though, and how they coughed it up.

The Yankees were up 4-1 after Ryan McMahon’s sac fly in the sixth. Then Jeremy Peña parked one in the seats, and suddenly the Astros had all the momentum. In the eighth, Boone decided to roll with Devin Williams — a guy whose “struggles” are becoming a personality trait at this point — and shocker, disaster struck. A 4-4 tie turned into chaos.

Williams and Boone both got tossed for chirping the ump over balls and strikes. Williams said afterward:

“I said, ‘I had four that you missed,’ and he threw me out for it. Never been ejected in my career.”

Translation: guilt by association. Boone has managed to turn himself into Public Enemy No. 1 among umpires. Stand next to him, you’re toast too.

Meanwhile, Anthony Volpe went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts and still somehow kept his spot. Jose Caballero has been gathering dust on the bench.Makes no sense.

Oh, and Giancarlo Stanton? After his defensive adventures in left, maybe — just maybe — don’t roll him out there for a third straight game. But nope. Logic took the night off.

This wasn’t a game the Yankees “got squeezed.” This was a game lost because of panic, bad lineup choices, and a season-long pattern of mismanagement. Now, they’ve got their backs against the wall and a brutal stretch of games coming up.

And here’s the kicker: nobody in that front office ever admits they screwed up. They just let Boone roam free like Chucky on a Saturday night murder spree. Chaos.

It’s time to cut the head off the snake. Send Boone packing. Change the narrative. Because Yankees fans are done watching this team play catch-up.