The Aaron Boone Show? Manager turning run-ins with umps into an ‘art form’
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Joon Lee, ESPN
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone has turned getting ejected by umpires into such a regular occurrence that his players — and even his family — debate their favorite signature moments, like he’s a sitcom character.
“You see him out there yelling,” said Yankees captain Aaron Judge with a laugh. “He has passion. I love the gum throw. You’ve got him doing stuff with his hat.”
It’s not just that Boone is getting tossed at an historic rate, earning him a recent one-game suspension from MLB after two ejections in a four-game span. It’s not just that Boone has been tossed 30 times in his five-plus seasons as a manager. It’s that Boone has been ejected enough times his players have begun breaking down his style — like Judge’s favorite, the gum tosses, which recently got meme’d into a phony Statcast treatment.
Aaron Boone’s gum throw via statcast pic.twitter.com/rW4s7LBuel
— gabe (@PlayoffTanaka_) May 16, 2023
“There’s an art form to it,” said Yankees outfielder Harrison Bader on the gum toss. “He does it incredibly well. I respect it and I support it at all times.”
Boone has been ejected more times in his career than Dusty Baker, who has managed 20 more seasons. As it currently stands, Boone has the third-highest ejection rate in MLB history, behind only Paul Richards and Frankie Frisch and ahead of notorious grousers such as Earl Weaver, Bobby Cox and Ron Gardenhire. It’s a feat made more impressive because Boone manages in the instant replay era, which has reduced potential friction between skippers and umps. Those within the Yankees’ clubhouse — and even in the umpires’ room — say his willingness to stand up for his team in this way is a feature, not a bug.
“I just think it shows what kind of leader he is for this team,” Judge said. “I can be mad about this ball and strike, but Booney is going to have my back. He’s going to speak up and voice the opinion of the team and me.”
In 2019, Boone famously got tossed by umpire Brendan Miller after a now-iconic, expletive-laden “savages in the box” rant. While Boone has become a frequent antagonist on the field for umpires, his relationships with the crews behind the scenes remain extremely friendly and cordial, according to multiple umpires who spoke to ESPN.
“Not many Yankees get ejected — he’s always taking the fire,” said one veteran umpire, who spoke to ESPN on the condition of anonymity. “He’s just doing the job that he’s supposed to do.”
A manager’s relationship with umpires can be very different on the field and off of it. Cox, who was ejected an MLB record 162 times — a full season’s worth of games — over his 29 years as manager of the Atlanta Braves and Toronto Blue Jays, famously got into screaming matches with umps. But when the crews would visit his restaurant in Atlanta, he often picked up their checks — serving up an apology along with it. Umpires frequently cite Boone’s background in baseball — he comes from a line of major leaguers that includes his grandfather, Ray; his father, Bob (who managed for six seasons after a long playing career); and his brother, Bret — as the foundation for a common understanding that what happens on the diamond stays there.
“If he crosses a line and makes it personal, then he’s probably going to get ejected, but he comes from a great baseball family and he knows what his job is,” another umpire said. “The whole thing is funny.”
Regardless, his growing reputation for piling up ejections is one Boone hopes to change, especially upon hearing that he’s outpacing Weaver and Cox for career ejections.
“Going to slow down then,” Boone said. “But all of a sudden, you have three in a week. I don’t want to get tossed. I’m trying to back off a bit more right now. But at the same time, not wanting to lose the edge that I want our players to have and things that I want to fight for. I don’t want our players to get kicked out at all if possible.”
Boone says his wife, Laura Cover, and four children usually do not mention the ejections when he comes home after being thrown out of a game. But when the gum toss got the attention of his 14-year-old daughter, Bella, Boone used the moment to impart some wisdom.
“Do as I say,” Boone said to Bella. “Not as I do.”
While Boone hopes to tone it down, Yankees players find his moments of passion refreshing. Typically, Boone remains even-keeled, never getting too high or too low after a big win or loss. The contrast between his largely calm demeanor and the intense persona that emerges while jawing at umpires fires up the dugout.
“You want a manager that will go to war for his guys,” Yankees outfielder Willie Calhoun said. “Some managers don’t do that at all. So when you see that, it just makes you want to run through a wall [for him].”
That type of support helps spur on struggling players, too. Yankees utility man Isiah Kiner-Falefa has received significant criticism at times from the Yankees fan base after scuffling both at the plate and in the field. But, he said, Boone sticking up for him, whether it’s with an ump or while facing the media, helped give him the confidence he could turn things around.
“It gives you this peace of mind and it helps you show up to work in a good state,” Kiner-Falefa said. “He shows he really cares.”
Boone understands there might be some umpires who are rubbed the wrong way by his actions, but he says his intention is to never make it about more than one moment.
“I always try to have relationships, that part is really easy for me,” Boone said. “It’s very easy to move on, have what I think hopefully is the right kind of relationship with them. A respectful one.”
As for the gum? Before games, Boone stockpiles it to keep near him on the bench. The stack then shrinks across nine innings. Whenever Judge tries to steal a piece before heading to the on-deck circle, Boone gets extremely protective. So when Judge sees a piece of gum flying through the air during one of Boone’s arguments, he knows the skipper has taken extreme exception to a call.
“To see him waste one, and knowing how much he loves it,” Judge said, “it means a lot.”
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Alden Gonzalez
LOS ANGELES — Federal agents with the United States Department of Homeland Security set up outside Dodger Stadium on Thursday morning, sparking outrage on social media and triggering more protests against immigration enforcement in the city.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, who said they denied the federal agents access to the stadium’s parking lot, subsequently postponed plans to unveil initiatives to assist local immigrant communities.
“Because of the events earlier today, we continue to work with groups that were involved with our programs,” Dodgers president Stan Kasten said. “But we are going to have to delay today’s announcement while we firm up some more details. We’ll get back to you soon with the timing.”
A caravan of white, unmarked vans and SUVs arrived at the Gate A entrance of Dodger Stadium, off Vin Scully Avenue, at around 8 a.m., with agents saying they had detainees to process, according to local media reports and firsthand accounts.
The security guard on hand told the agents that they were not allowed on private property, prompting federal officials to circle outside to Gate E, the downtown-facing entrance to the ballpark’s parking lot where dozens of protesters gathered.
The Los Angeles Police Department later arrived on the scene, and everyone was dispersed by around noon PT.
Thursday’s game against the San Diego Padres was played as scheduled.
The Dodgers initially posted on their X account that the federal officials were with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The federal agency, however, refuted its presence at Dodger Stadium through its X account.
“False,” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement posted. “We were never there.”
The Department of Homeland Security said the agents were with the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), which attempted to access the stadium.
“This has nothing to do with the Dodgers,” DHS posted to X. “CBP vehicles were in the parking lot very briefly, unrelated to any operation or enforcement.”
ICE and CBP are both federal agencies under the Department of Homeland Security.
Protests against ICE raids in Los Angeles began earlier this month after federal agents arrested dozens of workers in the city. Protesters blocked a major freeway and set cars on fire in the following days, prompting police to respond with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades.
In the wake of those protests, and a decision by President Donald Trump’s administration to activate more than 4,000 National Guard members and 700 active-duty Marines over the objection of city and state leaders, the Dodgers were criticized for not making any public statements in support of immigrants.
The team solidified plans to work with immigration groups earlier this week and was planning to unveil them Thursday, until the presence of federal agents further inflamed the situation.
Despite the protests, immigration-enforcement activity has continued throughout Los Angeles, with city leaders and community groups reporting ICE presence at libraries, car washes and home improvement stores. School graduations in the city have increased security over fears of ICE action, with some schools offering parents the option to watch via live streams.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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