New York Yankees Manager Aaron Boone was suspended one game for an expletive-laced tirade directed at home plate umpire Brennan Miller, during a NYY win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday.
During his tirade he referred to his Yankee squad as “f*ck*ng savages,” who he believed Miller was wronging with inaccurate ball and strikes calls.
“You’re having a piece-of-s- -t start to this game,” Boone could be heard saying to Miller during the broadcast on the YES Network, the Yankees’ cable home. “I feel bad for you, but f—ing get better. That guy [Rays starter Yonny Chirinos] is a good pitcher, but our guys are f—ing savages in that box. Our guys are savages in the f—ing box. Tighten it up right now, OK? Tighten this s- -t up.”
But it wasn’t the cursing that got Boone suspended, but making inadvertent contact with Miller during his diatribe.
Here’s MLB’s statement on the suspension:
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone has received a one-game suspension and an undisclosed fine for his inappropriate actions, including contact with the home plate umpire, during the bottom of the second inning of his Club’s Thursday afternoon game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium. Joe Torre, Chief Baseball Officer for Major League Baseball, made the announcement. Boone’s suspension will be served [Friday night], when the Yankees are to host the Colorado Rockies.
On occasion, baseball managers get into heated arguments with umpires with the intent of getting thrown out of the game to fire up their teams, showing players the boss has their back.
This might have worked with the Yankees going on to beat Tampa Bay 6-2 after Boone got tossed in the second inning, with the game tied at 2-2.
“Sometimes in the heat of battle, you just kind of utter some things,” Boone told reporters after the game, “but I feel that way about our guys, no doubt.”
It’s hard argue with much of Boone’s decision-making the year with the Yankees. His team is currently 62-33 and running away with the American League East division.
Boone went after Miller after left fielder Brett Gardner and second baseman DJ LeMahieu each complained to the umpire about his balls and strikes calls. Clearly Boone didn’t want Gardner or LeMahieu getting thrown out, so he took up their argument and got tossed.
“Obviously our manager went out there and stood up for me and for some of the other guys. It’s good to see,” Gardner said. “It gets us fired up. It was good to see. He’s done that several times now. It’s good to see that he has our back.”
Boone has been ejected three times this year.
“We love it. He’s in the trenches with us,” said Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge.
And this slogan might create a rallying cry for Boone’s team. “Bleeping Savages” is appearing on t-shirts being sold all over the internet,
Expect to hear this mantra about the Yankees the rest of the season.
“We are a bunch of savages,” Yankees first baseman Luke Voit said after the game.