Boone calls his 1-game suspension a ‘weird experience’
NEW YORK — Aaron Boone spent Friday’s loss in Brian Cashman’s box at Yankee Stadium, as the manager served a one-game suspension for his recent conduct toward umpires.
“Weird experience,” Boone said Saturday while reflecting on the suspension.
Boone was ejected from Thursday’s game against the Orioles. It was his fourth ejection of the year and his third in the Yankees’ last 10 games.
The manager was tossed after arguing Edwin Moscoso’s strike zone. The skipper insisted that his initial comments shouldn’t have resulted in an ejection, but Boone became fiery when Moscoso turned his back on the manager.
Crew chief Chris Guccione had to get in between Moscoso and Boone, and some spittle from Boone’s mouth flew in Moscoso’s direction.
Boone said that he had multiple conversations with Michael Hill, Major League Baseball’s senior vice president for on-field operations, the night of the ejection and Friday afternoon. Boone found out about his suspension during batting practice on Friday, a decision that left him “surprised” and “caught off guard” based on his initial talk with Hill.
Boone understood why the suspension came down on him, though, and he noted that he doesn’t want to get kicked out of games. Still, he’s not going to alter his demeanor moving forward.
“I’m not gonna change. Even though I have been kicked out of a lot of games, a lot of them I make it through,” Boone said with a laugh. “Maybe just being better at knowing where that line is. Again, a couple of these I don’t necessarily think I should have been tossed, but I’ll be mindful of it.
“I’m not gonna lose my edge.”
LeMahieu’s rut: DJ LeMahieu has been struggling at the plate, slashing .133/.188/.133 with zero extra-base hits over his last 32 plate appearances entering Saturday’s game against the Padres. LeMahieu was also striking out 26.3% of the time, easily a careerworst.
“I take pride in not striking out. I’ve struck out more than I’ve liked to this year so far,” LeMahieu said Friday, adding that he’s been expanding his zone too much and that he feels fine physically. “I know I’ll get out of this little rut.”
While LeMahieu is striking out at a high clip, his hard-hit rate (49.2%) is a career-high, and his average exit velocity (91.8 mph) is close to a personal best. He tries not to pay attention to those metrics too much, but he acknowledged there’s “some good things that have happened.”
“I feel close,” LeMahieu said.
After eight years as a minor leaguer, Matt Krook is one step closer to his big league debut.
The Yankees added the left-hander to their active roster Saturday morning. He replaces Randy Vasquez, who made his major league debut Friday night against the Padres. Vasquez mostly impressed in a loss, but his immediate return to Triple-A was expected since the Yankees needed a spot starter Friday and a fresh arm moving forward.
Krook can be that guy, as the converted starter has been working in a multi-inning relief role with the RailRiders. The job has suited him well, as he recorded a 1.04 ERA over 12 games and 17.1. innings at Triple-A. He also struck out 34 batters while walking 12. He did not make his debut, however, in the Yankees’ 3-2 10-inning win over San Diego on Saturday.
“I really like it. It allows me to face the lineup one time usually. I can throw all four pitches, face a guy one time, so it’s been good for me,” said Krook, whose arsenal leans on sinkers, sweepers, cutters and changeups. “When starting, you’re facing a guy three times. Sometimes you might hide stuff or not show something too early. You’re facing a guy one time, you can just come at him right away with your best stuff.”