Aaron Boone has reversed the “embarrassing” decision to send him just one batter from Monday’s Yankees game in a case of mistaken identity, with umpire Hunter Wendelstedt doubling down on his decision after the game.
After Boone had expressed his displeasure with a strike call just seconds earlier – and was told he would be “out” if he said anything else – he stood silently in the dugout, but was still ejected when Wendelstedt thought fan abuse was taking place in the came close to the Yankees. manager.
And Boone was furious after the game, which the Yankees lost 2-0 to the A’s, and told reporters he planned to contact MLB about the incident.
“I didn’t even go after Hunter,” he began, calling the eviction “just not okay.”
‘I was more angry about the appeal. I said, ‘Hunter, you can call it too.’ He came back at me pretty hard. To which I didn’t respond. I just said, ‘Okay.’ Went down. It’s humiliating. It’s a really bad one… it’s embarrassing.”
Aaron Boone was furious after being ejected from the Yankees game on Monday afternoon
“I don’t care who said it. You are gone!’
Not usually how that works, but at least we got a great hot mic situation out of this Aaron Boone ejection pic.twitter.com/EX2xUsjtKA
— Talkin’ Yanks (@TalkinYanks) April 22, 2024
Boone feuded with Hunter Wendelstedt after he was kicked out of the Yankees game
In response to a request for comment from Mail Sport, an MLB spokesperson said it is standard practice to review all ejections.
Television replays clearly showed that Boone said nothing just before his ejection and the comment came from a fan sitting directly above the Yankees dugout wearing a blue jersey.
But Wendelstedt incredibly doubled down on his error after the game, as he insisted the abuse actually came from the Yankees dugout.
“Aaron Boone is the manager of the New York Yankees and is responsible for everything that happens in that dugout. … I don’t want to eject a baseball player,” he said via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.
‘We have to keep them in the game. That’s what the fans pay for. Aaron Boone leads the Yankees. He was sent away.’
Umpire Hunter Wendelstedt thought the abuse from the fan in blue (center) came from Boone
An angry Boone said after the game that the incident was “embarrassing.”
Microphones picked up the angry exchange during the match, with Boone shouting, “I didn’t say a word, it was the crowd!” Bulls***! I didn’t say anything, Hunter! I didn’t say a damn word!’
As Boone continued to desperately plead his innocence, Wendelstedt said, “I don’t care who said it, you’re gone.”
Boone, who has a history of angry clashes with MLB umpires, acknowledged he had a short temper but was convinced the ejection was unjust.
‘It was clearly wrong. “I am a bit louder and more fiery than others,” he said. “But I was standing on the ground and I just heard ‘you’re gone, Aaron’ and I couldn’t believe it.