Luke Weaver Disappointed by Game 1 Outing, Vows to Improve for Yankees' Playoff Run

New York Yankees reliever Luke Weaver expressed disappointment following his Game 1 loss outing against the Red Sox on Tuesday, stating, "I just got to be better." Manager Aaron Boone brought the 32-year-old right-hander into the seventh inning with one out, explaining he wanted to save Devin Williams or Fernando Cruz for later in the order. Weaver, who finished the regular season with a 3.62 ERA but struggled in September with a 9.64 ERA due to bad outings, walked Ceddanne Rafaela after getting ahead 0-2 in an 11-pitch at-bat. He then allowed a hustle double to Nick Sogard and a two-run single to pinch-hitter Masataka Yoshida, surrendering two runs without recording an out. Boone noted Weaver "lost the strike zone" and left pitches "a little up." Weaver acknowledged the Rafaela at-bat was "a real tough one to swallow," despite feeling his overall outing was "very competitive." The Yankees' bullpen, including Weaver, needs to perform better for a deep October run.