BOSTON
If DJ LeMahieu had known he would be ejected for the first time in his career during Friday night’s game, he might have felt it was worth the price of admission. Instead, he found himself tossed after a relatively mild remark during what turned out to be an intense 10-inning battle, which the Yankees ultimately lost to the Red Sox 2-1 at Fenway Park.
Following a line drive that slipped past the first baseline, he called foul and confronted a replay review. After Aaron Boone was dismissed, LeMahieu ended his at-bat, grounding out to conclude the inning. As he passed first-base umpire Jeremy Rehak, he said something that got him ejected. However, according to LeMahieu, it didn’t involve any particularly nasty words or anything that would typically draw a fine.
“I simply remarked, ‘It was a brutal call,'” LeMahieu explained. “[Rehak] asked me, ‘What did you say?’ and I replied, ‘It was brutal.’ That was it. But, in moments like these, you know, emotions are running high.”
Interestingly, LeMahieu admitted that he has seen worse situations in the past and had managed to stay in the game.
“Honestly, I was quite surprised by what I said to the umpire,” he noted.
Before this incident, LeMahieu had made it through 1,651 career games without being thrown out.
“I figured it was going to happen eventually,” said Judge Aaron, indicating that there was indeed a reason behind the ejection. “It was clearly a fair ball. It wasn’t that serious, to be honest.”
In other news, Jazz Chisholm Jr. missed his second consecutive game after being pulled from Wednesday’s matchup due to discomfort in his left shoulder. He was limited to taking ground balls during Thursday’s pre-game, only available for emergencies in the series finale against the Royals.
Chisholm aimed to test his shoulder’s flexibility and strength on Friday, feeling optimistic. “I felt pretty good [Thursday] and feel even better today,” he said before practice.
Oswald Peraza stepped in to play third base in Chisholm’s absence.
Ryan Yarbrough, after a rough interaction with the Red Sox last weekend, returned to the mound on Friday, throwing four innings while allowing just one run. He managed four hits and three walks, with the sole earned run coming when Trevor Story hit a single that brought Seddon Rafaela home.
Luke Weaver, recovering from a hamstring injury, is scheduled to pitch again on Saturday. However, there remains some uncertainty regarding whether Boone will be available for another bullpen session since landing on the injured list. Weaver, who has already completed two successful bullpen sessions, may be ahead of schedule, as he was initially projected to be out for four to six weeks.
