Masahiro Tanaka made the decision for Aaron Boone.
Boone and the Yankees do not want to admit it just yet, but there is no way they can have Tanaka start the wild-card game.
The season is on the line that game and the fear is that Tanaka might come up with a clunker like Thursday night’s terrible performance against the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium.
Boston won 11-6 to clinch the AL East. It’s officially wild-card season now for the Yankees.
Tanaka and the bullpen wasted a grand slam by Giancarlo Stanton. The Yankees got seven walks from Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez over 3 ²/₃ innings but could not convert that into victory.
Tanaka put the Yankees in the kind of hole that is difficult to climb out of in the regular season and is the last thing they need in a wild-card game against the powerful A’s, who beat the Angels, 21-3 on Thursday.
Here is Tanaka’s issue.
“His fastball doesn’t have the movement it once did to strike out hitters,’’ a scout at the game told The Post. “That fastball is only in the low 90s and with no movement. It’s extremely hittable.’’
Do real damage when Tanaka leaves the ball up. That is exactly what the Red Sox did as Tanaka managed only four innings, allowed eight hits, five runs, while striking out three. He surrendered a right-field second-deck home run to Brock Holt in the third inning on a lazy 0-1 inside fastball.
Mookie Betts crushed Tanaka all night as well.
Boone defended his starter, who came into the game with a 20-inning scoreless streak, but the Red Sox are in a hitting class above all others.
Boone said this start “will probably not weigh that much’’ into the decision for who will be the wild-card starter.
“We have so much confidence in Masa, especially in the big spots so our decision will be one made from strength,’’ Boone said. “We are deciding from a lot of good options. Masa is right in that consideration. This doesn’t make me think he’s not going to deliver in a big spot in a play-in game.’’
OK, but it would be difficult to start Tanaka in the wild-card game with J.A. Happ pitching so well and Luis Severino pitching better of late.
The lefty Happ, 6-0 with a 2.39 ERA as a Yankee, gets The Post’s vote to start the wild-card game because you just know he is going to give you a professional effort and won’t get flustered if something goes wrong, which is likely, considering the way the Yankees play defense.
Then if you win the wild-card game against the A’s you have Severino ready to go in Game 1 against the Red Sox in the ALDS up in Fenway Park.
Tanaka blamed his bad night on a lack of fastball command.
“As far as pitches go, I don’t think it was awful tonight,’’ Tanaka said through a translator. “I think the Red Sox offense got some good hits off it. … I feel responsible for the loss.’’
Mookie Betts owned Tanaka with a leadoff double that hit high off the left-field wall in the first, a two-out, two-run single in the second on an 0-2 fastball and another double to lead off the fifth. After Andrew Benintendi’s single moved Betts to third, Boone removed Tanaka.
To go with Tanaka’s struggles, the Yankees were once again pathetic on defense. With the game tied at 6-6, the Red Sox took an 8-6 lead in the seventh on Xander Bogaerts sacrifice fly to center. On the play, pinch-runner Tzu-Wei Lin scored easily from third. Aaron Hicks decided to let the throw loose to third and the ball handcuffed Miguel Andujar and bounced off him into the stands, allowing Benintendi, who was not tagging up at second, to be waved home. Another gifted run.
Betts blasted a three-run home run off the returning Aroldis Chapman in the eighth to make it a blowout and put the champagne on ice.
Tanaka set the stage for failure. The Yankees simply cannot afford that to happen in the wild-card game.
