Yankees fans thought Aaron Boone was about to take Cam Schlittler out of a dominant playoff start. They made their feelings heard immediately.
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There was just one problem: The man walking to the mound was pitching coach Matt Blake.
Schlittler was approaching 100 pitches in the sixth inning of Tuesday's wild-card opener against the Red Sox when Blake came out for a conversation. Boos filled Yankee Stadium as fans apparently assumed Boone was coming to remove the starter. Once they realized Schlittler was staying in, the boos turned to cheers, according to Larry Brown Sports.
It was a quick mix-up, and one with an obvious explanation. Schlittler was dealing, and nobody in the ballpark wanted his night cut short.
The 25-year-old right-hander kept pitching into the seventh. He finished with 10 strikeouts, allowing two hits and no runs in New York's 9-0 victory. He threw 117 pitches before Paul Blackburn took over following a one-out single.
By then, the Yankees had more than enough offense. Ben Rice hit two home runs, including a grand slam, as New York took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series.
Fans have booed pitching changes for as long as managers have made them. This time, the pitcher was never coming out during the mound visit. Blake got an earful anyway, then watched the crowd celebrate when he headed back to the dugout alone.
