Yankees’ 2003 ALCS Game 7 hero interviews to be Bombers manager, says he’s up to the challenge

Boone: I’m ready to be Yankee skipper

Driving Tim Wakefield’s first pitch in the bottom of the 11th inning of the 2003 ALCS over the left field wall at the old Yankee Stadium to help the Bombers clinch the American League pennant and send the Red Sox home qualifies as a pressure-packed moment that Aaron Boone conquered. But 14 years later, does Boone have the fortitude and nerves to manage the 27-time World Series champion Yankees?

The 44-year-old Boone says yes, that he can replace Joe Girardi and handle the New York City sports crucible, even with no prior managing experience on Boone’s resume.

“Look, obviously experience is very valuable, and should be a check mark for somebody,” Boone told reporters on a conference call Friday after interviewing for the Bombers’ managerial vacancy earlier in the day. “I would also say, in a way, I’ve been preparing for this job my entire life. I’ve been going to the ballpark since I was 3 and 4. It’s certainly fair to question my experience in actually doing the job, but I would say I’ve been preparing for this for the last 44 years.”

Boone cited his family’s long history in baseball — his grandfather (Ray), father (Bob), brother (Bret) and Aaron all played in the majors — and his father’s past managing experience (Royals and Reds) as factors that have impacted his baseball acumen. And Boone said his experience working on ESPN as a baseball analyst since 2010 has given him a chance to manage from afar. In the last few years, Boone said putting the uniform on again was “something that has started to really be on my board.” Boone said Yankees general manager Brian Cashman reached out to him and asked if he would have interest in interviewing for the job.

“I was like, ‘Absolutely.’ Unequivocally my answer was ‘Yes.’ It’s a great opportunity to jump in with a team that has a lot of promise and so much potential,” said Boone.

From his broadcasting perch the last couple years, Boone has been able to see the Yankees’ development of their youth core — Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Luis Severino and the club’s loaded farm system — and he knows the organization’s bright future. Boone said as manager, he would relish the role of trying to forge strong relationships with the players.

“It’s part of the thing that’s so enticing with this group. The nucleus of this team is guys basically in their prime, or frankly not even in the prime of their career yet,” said Boone. “To have a chance to potentially impact these guys as ball players, as men, I’m looking forward at the possibility of that happening. I feel like I am the guy that can hopefully help these guys go to another level as players. A lot of guys not only established themselves this year, but established themselves as stars.”

Boone said he also understands the importance of analytics in today’s game, but he underscored the tried and true quality of being able to positively interact with your players, coaches and front office as equally valuable. Boone said that while working with ESPN, he’s picked the brains of a lot of managers around the majors, including talking at length with A.J. Hinch of the Astros and Dave Roberts of the Dodgers, to further try to understand the manager job.

“We are an extension of the front office,” Boone said of today’s skippers. “How we gather information and get it in the hands of players is a very important part of the job. My job as manager would be to forge really strong relationships where these players understand that me and my staff are going to really care about ’em, that they’re going to be able to trust us, and that at the end of the day, we’re going to do things that are best for the Yankees; those three things are always going to be evident.”

If Boone is selected as manager of the Yankees, he said there will be no nepotism at work — his father would not have a job on his coaching staff. “Certainly (Bob Boone) will be somebody that I talk to often, bounce things off, someone that I lean on,” said Boone.

In addition to Boone, the Yankees have already interviewed Rob Thomson, Eric Wedge and Hensley Meulens, and Dodgers third base coach Chris Woodward is reportedly a candidate to be interviewed.

NOTES: The Yankees announced Friday that pitchers and catchers report to Tampa Feb. 13. Yankee position players report Feb. 18. The Mets announced Friday that they signed LHP Matt Purke to a minor league contract and gave him a spring training invite. Purke, 27, has appeared in 12 major league games with the White Sox in 2016.