Luke Weaver struggles after being called to pitch in Yankees’ loss

Aaron Boone did not want to bring Luke Weaver in to pitch the ninth inning of a game in which the Yankees were getting blown out.

Austin Wells’ home run in the bottom of the eighth forced his hand.

The solo shot trimmed the Yankees deficit from eight to seven runs, meaning by rule Boone could not use a position player (Austin Slater) to start the ninth like he had been planning.

So instead, Boone called on Weaver, who added to the misery by giving up three runs while recording one out, which eventually allowed Boone to use Slater after all to record the final two outs of the inning in a brutal 11-1 loss to the Tigers on Wednesday night.

“Obviously, I never want to bring Weave into a situation like that,” Boone said. “But obviously, you get short and you kind of have to. I was going to go to Slater, and then Wells hits the homer to make it a seven-run game. You hate going to a guy in that situation, but if you go [Fernando] Cruz, then he’s probably down [Thursday], and Weave’s had the most rest between [Devin] Williams and [David] Bednar.”

MLB rules state position players can pitch only if a game is in extra innings, a team is trailing by at least eight runs at any point or a team is winning by at least 10 runs entering the ninth inning.

Slater, in his second-career major league pitching appearance, was the only Yankees reliever not to give up a run.

Anthony Rizzo called it a career Wednesday, announcing his retirement after going unsigned this season following the Yankees declining his option last offseason.

The 36-year-old first baseman, a new dad who was in the crowd at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday and visited with Boone before the game, will formally retire as a Cub on Saturday.

“Obviously, a great career,” Boone said. “All-Stars, Gold Gloves, Sliver Slugger, world champion. A key figure for us here these last few years.”

“He’s just got a larger-than-life personality and presence to him that’s very real. A guy that played the game within the game so well. A lot of moxie. I think about even last year, struggling through a lot of last year, getting hurt, coming back, still being hurt and playing through pain. Having to numb [two broken fingers] every game and even during the game and still going out and performing the way he did. He’s a great player.”

Rizzo, who often was hailed as a great teammate, spent 3 ¹/₂ seasons with the Yankees, a tenure that was largely derailed by post-concussion syndrome following a collision in May 2023.

The Yankees are urging fans to arrive early and take mass transportation for Thursday’s game due to enhanced security measures with President Donald Trump scheduled to attend the game on the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

Yankee Stadium gates will open to ticketed fans at 4 p.m.

Paul Goldschmidt, who turned 38 on Wednesday, remained on the bench for the fourth straight game, the longest stretch he has gone without playing this season.