Yankees manager Boone feels ‘awesome’ after getting pacemaker
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone is into his second full week on the bench after having a pacemaker inserted and says he’s feeling “awesome.”
Boone had the procedure done at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa, Fla., on March 3 and was back on the job after missing just three games.
“Just a lot different, honestly,” Boone said before Sunday’s road game against the Toronto Blue Jays. “Energy. Even cardio-vascular workout capabilities. Done some (Peloton) rides I haven’t done in a few months that I didn’t even realize, oh, this is what it’s supposed to be like.”
Boone’s pacemaker is to keep his heart rate from dropping below 50-60 beats per minute or from rising too high.
“Still have some arm restrictions,” Boone said. “So I can’t like lift weights like I normally do, but that will be hopefully a few more weeks. But as far as just getting around, energy in the mornings and all day, so much better.”
Boone had open heart surgery on March 26, 2009, while he was a player with the Houston Astros, a procedure to correct a swelling of the aorta. The condition had been first discovered when he was in college.
The 48-year-old Boone underwent yearly checkups since and said electrocardiograms this winter came back good, with no change, but when he was monitored for several weeks, he was found to have a heart rate as low as 30-39 beats per minute, well below the 60-100 considered normal for adults.
Yankees 5, Blue Jays 1: New York starter Deivi Garcia gave up one hit and an unearned run in three innings, and Max McDowell hit a three-run double. Toronto starter Alek Manoah pitched three perfect innings, striking out seven. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. had an RBI double. ... Boone said infielder/ outfielder Miguel Andujar (sore right
hand and wrist) and catcher Robinson Chirinos (broken right wrist) will both see a hand specialist Monday. Andujar first felt discomfort taking a swing in a winter league game. After calming down, the soreness returned last week. Chirinos was hit by a pitch March 10.
Mets’Guillorme has10-minuteplate appearance: With his New York Mets teammates cheering, dancing and going crazy in the dugout, Luis Guillorme stood at the plate for more than 10 minutes against rocket-armed St. Louis reliever Jordan Hicks, eventually drawing a 22-pitch walk Sunday. “It’s pretty cool,” Guillorme said.
Guillorme took a called strike on the first pitch, then swung and missed at the second. Quickly down 0-and-2, the backup infielder wound up hitting 16 foul balls — nine in a row with a full count.
Pete Alonso, Michael Conforto and the rest of the Mets got more and more animated with every curve, changeup and fastball, including a half-dozen at 100 mph. Finally, Guillorme took a slider down and in for ball four and trotted to first base as the shouts and hollers erupted.
“It was definitely a good battle,” Hicks said.
Since Major League Baseball officially began keeping track in 1988, the longest at-bat in a regular-season game was a 21-pitch duel between San Francisco’s Brandon Belt and Angels rookie Jaime Barria that finished with a flyout.
Hicks had just entered in the bottom of the fifth inning and Guillorme was the very first major league batter the
righthander had faced since June 2019. Hicks underwent TommyJohnsurgery shortly after that and opted out of the 2020 season because of coronavirus concerns, having been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in high school.
“It was probably the last thing I thought was going to happen, to be honest, because it’s never happened before,” Hicks told St. Louis media. “I don’t even think I’ve had a 13-pitch at-bat in my career.”
Hicks was scheduled to pitch one inning. But after the long matchup, he was pulled. Cardinals manager Mike Shildt thanked the umpiring crew for not enforcing the rule that relievers must face at least three batters unless they’re injured.
“Common sense prevailed,” Shildt said.
David Peterson worked four innings in the start for New York, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks in the 7-5 Mets victory. Corey Oswalt retired all six batters he faced in relief, five on strikeouts. Alonso hit a two-run single and Lindor drove in a run with a hit.
Red Sox 5, Twins 5 (8): Nathan Eovaldi gave up four runs and seven hits in four innings for Boston, and Rafael Devers and Christian Arroyo greeted reliever Hansel Robles with back-to-back home runs to start the fifth. Minnesota starter Kenta Maeda struck out five in four hitless innings, while Byron Buxton homered, Miguel Sano hit a two-run double and Andrelton Simmons had an RBI single for the Twins.