This was not about the brink of elimination or thanks for the memories. Aaron Boone had determined he would start Brett Gardner in Division Series Game 4 well before a humiliating Game 3 loss to the Red Sox put the Yankees on the brink of the offseason.
The Yankees manager did so for the same reason he tabbed Neil Walker at third base — with the more contact-oriented CC Sabathia starting Tuesday night for New York, Boone wanted better defense in the field, and with righty Rick Porcello starting for Boston Boone wanted more lefty bats at the plate.