Aaron Boone of the Yankees: Umpire Hunter Wendelstedt’s ejection of me was “embarrassing”
Umpire Hunter Wendelstedt warned New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone not to argue further during a call, and Boone was ejected in the first inning of Monday’s game against the Oakland Athletics.
The lone problem with the choice? Video replays revealed that Boone remained silent in response to Wendelstedt’s warning: visibly irritated, Boone described the situation as “embarrassing” following the game.
This is the entire exchange’s context.
The Yankees believed that Athletics leadoff hitter Esteury Ruiz swung for a strike, but a pitch struck him in the foot during the first at-bat of the game. Boone voiced his dissatisfaction with the call.
Wendelstedt’s response, audible on the show, was, “You’re not yelling at me” (h/t ESPN’s Jorge Castillo). “I followed the instructions and made sure. I’m waiting for the pitch to hit him. You’re gone; do you have anything more to say?
The remarks Wendelstedt heard appeared to have come from a fan in the stands, and video revealed that Boone actually said nothing further afterwards.
“Hard to,” Boone responded to reporters following the game when they inquired about how he processed the ejection. “I wasn’t even really after [Wendelstedt]; I was more upset that when I said, ‘Hunter, you can call it too,'” on the appeal, he retaliated quite harshly, and I chose not to answer.”
Boone went on to say he would report the matter to Major League Baseball.
Wendelstedt told reporters following the game that he thought the remarks originated from the dugout.
He stated, “Aaron Boone is the manager of the New York Yankees and is in charge of everything that occurs in that dugout.” “I’d rather not eject a ballplayer. We must continue to play them. That’s what viewers pay to witness. The Yankees are led by Aaron Boone. He was removed.”
He then reiterated his claim that a comment made from the dugout, not from the stands, was the basis for the ejection:
It seems that he mentioned that a fan was located directly above the dugout. This ejection is not my first. I have never removed a manager or player from a game because of something a fan said in my whole career. Because that’s what Aaron was portraying, I understand that that will be a part of a story or something. He is the Yankees manager, but I heard something come from the far end of the dugout that had nothing to do with his territory. Thus, he was the one who needed to go.”
As one might expect, Wendelstedt’s actions caused a mixture of confusion, bewilderment, and disdain on social media in response to the situation:
Boone has now been fired 45 times since 2018, which is more than any other manager, according to Castillo. It was his second ejection of the 2024 season on Monday. It was unquestionably the least deserved of his professional life.
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