Yankees, umps go at it again in victory
The Yankees’ season so far has been highlighted by plenty of wins — and more than a few dustups with umpires. They got both on Saturday afternoon at the Stadium, as they beat the Indians, 6-5, and also endured three ejections during a wild sixth inning in which Aaron Boone, Brett Gardner and CC Sabathia — who is on the injured list — were all tossed. “Frankly, I think that got escalated because they came looking for it,’’ Boone said of the umpires after the chaotic scene, as numerous Yankees players yelled from the dugout and the umpires seemed to make matters worse. Though their issues with the umps haven’t hurt them yet, the Yankees know they have an issue and don’t want to see it cost them in the future. The latest drama centered around a questionable call by home plate umpire Ben May — who was up from the minors — on a third strike to Cameron Maybin. Boone was quickly tossed by May, in a scene reminiscent of the manager’s infamous “savages” tirade directed at another minor league ump, Brennan Miller, last month. May then appeared to warn Gardner in the dugout, and as bench coach Josh Bard picked up the argument with May, Sabathia and Gardner — who once again banged his bat into the top of the dugout — were ejected by first-base umpire Phil Cuzzi, who ran over to the Yankees’ dugout.
Crew chief Tom Hallion said the situation “kind of got out of control” and added that Gardner being ejected for banging his bat was “probably a pretty accurate statement.”
Maybin blamed May for escalating the issue.
“I thought today he continued to stare into the dugout and I didn’t think he needed to do that,’’ Maybin said. Gardner had been ejected following a similar routine in Toronto last week. Both Gardner and Boone said they weren’t told that was an ejectable offense.
Boone said he felt the umps were looking for a reason to toss Yankees out of the game.
“It felt a little bit like that happened,’’ Boone said. “It is our job, too, to play under control as best we can and not cross lines because, certainly, we don’t want players getting kicked out of games. … But you know what? When you’re playing for a lot, sometimes we’re locked in like we are in the heat of battle and passionate and it spills over a little bit.”
With Gardner having been ejected twice in little over a week, Maybin admitted the Yankees may have to change their ways.
“We’re gonna have to,’’ Maybin said. “I don’t think anything [Gardner] did warranted getting thrown out of the game, but if that’s how it’s gonna be, we definitely have to change some things and try to control our emotions a little better.”
Their anger with the umps didn’t stop the Yankees from winning for the seventh time in eight games and overcoming another rocky outing from James Paxton, who gave up two more first-inning runs.
Didi Gregorius gave the Yankees their first lead when he opened the bottom of the fourth with a homer and Gleyber Torres followed with the first of his two home runs, as the Yankees went up, 4-2.
Paxton allowed two more runs in the fifth before DJ LeMahieu pushed the Yankees ahead again in the bottom of the inning, when he hit a two-out opposite field homer.
Adam Ottavino and Tommy Kahnle tossed scoreless innings, and Torres’ second homer gave the Yankees’ a tworun cushion. After the ejections, however, the Yankees had to play the final three innings shorthanded. Mike Ford replaced Gardner in the lineup and Thairo Estrada moved from second base to right field, with LeMahieu switching to second. Zack Britton got a double play to end the eighth with the tying run on third before Aroldis Chapman tossed a scoreless ninth inning for his second save in as many days.