Aaron Boone carries his rotation on his wrist. The New York Yankees manager wears a blue watch band when Gerrit Cole takes the mound, which Boone calls his nicest.

The manager explained why he decided to put Cortes in the game during a pivotal moment against the heart of the Los Angeles batting order.

LOS ANGELES — After a day of external second-guessing, there was one decision Aaron Boone himself grappled with. It was not pulling Gerrit Cole after 88 pitches. It was not bringing in Nestor Cortes, fresh off a flexor strain that had not allowed him to pitch since Sept. 18, to face the Dodgers’ best hitters.