Aaron Boone operates by the Managing for Dummies book that says you pull your starter after six innings whether he has a shutout or a No-hitter ( he has done both in the last week ). His book also says to shift your infield toward the batters strong side. He treats every hitter like he 's Ted Williams. Teams are starting to take advantage of Boone's predictability by slapping the ball toward the empty side. I have also watched three for sure double plays balls go for naught because the shift makes it impossible to cover second base in time.
I'm not a fan of the infield shift, but at the MLB level, I doubt it's done without full, reliable scouting reports on batters' histories. Some batters are consistent and predictable pull hitters. Others are pitch-location hitters. Of course, no plan is fool-proof. Sometimes even a "Ted Williams" can spray a hit to the left side of 2b. Re: the 6-inning limit for SP, who knows? It's early in the season. Maybe he wants to keep his starters' arms fresh for the home stretch. Maybe he likes his bullpen's effectiveness over the last 3 innings. The Yankees currently are one of the hottest teams in baseball. Why fix what ain't broke? If he's using the Managing for Dummies handbook, it's probably on the best sellers' list among MLB personnel.