New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone has not excelled in too many regards since taking over as the team's skipper, but one of his true specialties is getting thrown out of games.
On Monday, Boone was ejected for the sixth time this year, putting him on pace to lead AL managers in that category for the third straight year. Boone was ejected nine times last season — the most for any MLB manager since 2007. While the Yankees manager often gets his money's worth when it's clear that he's getting tossed, many fans consider Monday's performance against the Chicago White Sox to be particularly special.
The incident started when Anthony Volpe was called out on strikes on a questionable call by home plate umpire Laz Diaz. Truly, both fan bases had noted throughout the game that Diaz was giving a very generous outside edge to pitchers, and Boone decided to make this sentiment known to the veteran umpire.
Some manager ejections escalate slowly. This one did not, as Boone got profane quickly and loudly enough that multiple censors had to be added to the footage. The Yanks' skipper then drew a line in the sand, indicating the extent of Diaz's expanded strike zone, and then strode behind the plate and did an exaggerated impression of Diaz's strike-three call.
Aaron Boone with an ALL TIME ejection ? pic.twitter.com/xeq5KuPXMj
— Baseball Quotes (@BaseballQuotes1) August 8, 2023
A Brutal Season For Aaron Boone and the Yankees
Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images
This tirade was doubtless the product not just of the one rough call, or even the whole game, but a lot of frustration that has built up as the Yankees have revealed themselves as one of the most dysfunctional franchises in the sport. Aside from consistently losing, there was some bizarre inaction at the trade deadline, an alcohol abuse episode with Domingo German, and very dishonest and concerning handling of player injuries.
That being said, things are also going downhill in Chicago, where multiple White Sox players who were sent elsewhere at the deadline have since spoken out about the team's culture, or lack thereof. Of course, there's also the aspect of the team's awful on-field results — and then the fight between Tim Anderson and José Ramírez, for which Anderson tellingly received a suspension twice as long as Ramírez did.
But on Monday, the Sox were the more composed side — their manager was allowed to stay in the dugout all nine innings, and they picked up the 5-1 win despite Gerrit Cole starting for the Yankees, whose playoff hopes are quickly fading.
