Aaron Boone, managing the New York Yankees for a record-breaking 40th time, was removed from the game following an incident during Sunday’s afternoon practice at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
The ejection occurred immediately after Aaron Judge appeared to have hit a home run, only for the umpires to call the pitch foul. Judge had powerfully connected with a batted ball traveling 111.7 mph toward left field, raising immediate questions about whether it would clear the confines of the stadium.
“It wasn’t a question of whether the ball would leave the park; it was a matter of whether it would stay fair,” commented observers at the scene.
Initially, home plate umpire Adam Beck and third base coach Scott Barry ruled the ball foul. However, the crew initiated a replay review, despite the Yankees’ dugout requesting one. The video evidence subsequently revealed that the ball had indeed landed in a tree behind the stadium – a clear indication it was fair.
Despite this conclusive proof, the original call remained standing. Frustration quickly mounted within the Yankees’ team as Boone vehemently disputed the umpire’s decision regarding Judge’s foul ball, confronting both Beck and Barry at the third base line.
“The audacity of the call standing is remarkable,” stated Boone according to CBS Sports. “It’s a home run, didn’t go our way, though.”
Judge acknowledged the unusual situation, saying, “I think everybody is kind of scratching their head, but nothing we can do about it. They missed it, and we just have to move on.”
Ultimately, the questionable call had no bearing on the outcome of the game. Max Fried delivered a dominant performance for the Rays, limiting them to two hits as New York secured a 4-0 victory. The Yankees concluded the four-game series with a record of three wins and one loss, though they suffered a defeat due to a blown save by Devin Williams in Tampa Bay.
Had Judge’s home run been ruled fair, he would have been tied with Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels and Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners for second place in Major League Baseball, trailing only Tyler Soderstrom of the Oakland Athletics who has hit nine home runs this season.
