PETERSBURG, Fla.
After a strikeout and a double play, a throw caused quite a stir in the Yankees’ dugout during Wednesday’s game against the Rays.
In the sixth inning, the Yankees tried a safety play with Jose Caballero at second base, but it was too late. Bench coach Brad Ausmus was the first to react. Aaron Boone, unsure about who had been ejected, found himself embroiled in a disagreement with home plate umpire Doug Eddings, leading to his own ejection—a decision he later regretted.
“I should have stayed in there,” Boone reflected following the Yankees’ 3-0 loss. “Right now isn’t a great time to be thinking personally about things, especially with this [umpiring] crew. We all need to do a better job of staying focused on the game.”
Earlier in the series, Boone had already felt frustrated with home plate umpire Emil Jimenez when Jason Dominguez wasn’t allowed to challenge a pitch, suspecting Jimenez might have been influenced by the Yankees’ dugout. This was reminiscent of a similar situation from the previous month at Yankee Stadium.
On Wednesday, after Caballero got ejected for trying to steal second base, Boone raised his hand while Ausmus was on the phone, contemplating whether the Yankees should challenge the call. But as time slipped away, Ausmus eventually signaled to Boone, who then signaled to Eddings about wanting a review.
Ausmus initiated the conflict from the dugout and was immediately thrown out—his first ejection of the season. Boone, however, stepped out to argue further, resulting in his third ejection this year.
“If Brad gets ejected, I absolutely have to stay in the game,” Boone expressed.
Looking ahead, instead of a spot starter like Elmer Rodriguez, the Yankees plan to implement a bullpen game on Thursday, relying on left-hander Ryan Yarbrough for most of the innings.
Caballero, who struck out four times in Tuesday’s game, had a particularly difficult moment when he intentionally dropped his bat before a called strike. He later explained that he had been swinging at too many breaking balls outside the zone and, after a foul ball, mistakenly thought he’d see an outside fastball from Rays left-hander Ian Seymour.
Caballero shared, “I would be more upset if that was the last chance I had or if I had to go after him again. I was just waiting for the opportunity to hit the ball.”
He recognized that he had other at-bats where he swung despite telling himself not to, so he decided to drop the bat instead. Unfortunately, it didn’t pay off, as he struck out on a fastball in the strike zone.
“I think some of his actions are a bit concerning,” Boone commented. “It didn’t go as planned, especially with the struggles he’s faced lately, but I can see why he acted as he did. There’s also a game element to the way he instinctively tries to play.”
