The New York Yankees scored one run in the top of the 10th inning on Friday night against San Diego Padres superstar closer Mason Miller.
They could’ve scored more, though, if Spencer Jones hadn’t been caught stealing as he attempted to swipe third base.
The irony, though, is that Jones may not have been out at all, but there’s no way to know for sure.
When it happened, as the umpire ruled Jones out and the replays played on the broadcast, Yankees manager Aaron Boone held his hand up to have the umpiring crew wait a minute while the Yankees’ replay analysts tried to decide whether it was worth a challenge.
Pretty quickly, Boone gestured that the Yankees wouldn’t be challenging.
That may have been the wrong move.
In a couple different angles, Jones looked quite safe.
Yankees Case To Challenge
Jones slid feet-first, and he appeared to get his foot in before Manny Machado’s tag.
There’s a moment when Jones may have come off the base just for a millisecond, but he probably was in contact with the base the whole time.
Here’s the multiple replay angles to watch yourself:
Padres broadcast also had no clue why the Yankees didn’t challenge https://t.co/g7gpRLkufX pic.twitter.com/pauANzyEZc
— Talkin’ Yanks (@TalkinYanks) September 5, 2026
There’s definitely a case to be made that Jones shouldn’t have tried to steal third base in that spot.
By the same token, if he was safe, the umpires should’ve called him safe.
It’s also odd that Boone chose not to challenge. What were the odds that the Yankees would need this challenge later on?
It was a pivotal call in extra innings, and the Yanks just let it go away without questioning it.
Even if the challenge didn’t succeed, at least they would’ve tried. In this case, though, they’ll never know.
That Run Really Mattered
The Yankees ended up not scoring another run in the top of the 10th, so they took a 2-1 lead to the bottom of the inning.
Padres righty Luis Campusano then delivered a walk-off, two-run home run to give San Diego a 3-2 victory.
Clearly, things still could’ve ended in a Yankees loss even if Jones wasn’t thrown out and instead ended up scoring to give the Yanks another run. But the ending wouldn’t have played out exactly like it did.
It’s made all the more painful by the fact that the Yankees didn’t even try the challenge.
Every result matters this late in the season, and this was a game the Yankees let get away from them — first by not hitting well enough while their pitchers shut down San Diego’s offense, and then with the odd non-challenge choice by Boone late in the game.
To be fair, Boone didn’t actually see the replay himself. He just has to trust his people. That process didn’t work out in this case.
Yankees’ Aaron Boone Under Fire For Not Challenging Pivotal Spencer Jones Call