Boone back on bench 3 days after pacemaker inserted
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone returned to the dugout Saturday, three days after surgery to have a pacemaker inserted.
“It felt good just to be at the ballfield again, competing with the guys,” he said after managing New York’s 3-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Boone, who turns 48 in a few days, left the club Wednesday to get the pacemaker at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa. He returned to camp Saturday after clearing COVID-19 protocols and said he feels great — especially so when he watched ace Gerrit Cole cruise through a simulated game at the team’s spring training facility in Tampa.
“Good to come watch Gerrit Cole pitch,” Boone said with a grin. “That’s a good way to get back into it.”
Boone — who says his only restriction is he can’t raise his left hand over his head for about a month — then joined the team in nearby Bradenton for a rain-delayed exhibition game against the Pirates.
“I was shocked to see him today,” said righthander Jameson Taillon, who started against Pittsburgh. “I was really happy to see him here. I know he went and saw Gerrit’s sim game and then came here for the game to manage today. That’s a full day for a first day back.
“Obviously, anytime you bring up the heart, it’s scary, but he seems to be in a great spot, in great spirits, and we’re happy to have him back.”
Boone had the pacemaker inserted after 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. Boone, who had open heart surgery in 2009 for a congenital defect, had been experiencing lightheadedness and fatigue this winter.
Taillon struck out four over two scoreless innings. Jay Bruce and Clint Frazier homered for New York, and Thairo Estrada had two hits.
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A Angels: Shohei Ohtani reached 100 mph with his fastball and showed off his signature splitter while striking out five over 1 2⁄
3 innings in the Angels’ 7-3 win over the Oakland Athletics on Friday. The righthander allowed a run, three hits and two walks, struggling to command his slider but showcasing the arm strength and stuff that allowed him to dominate in the majors before Tommy John surgery in 2018. “Since this was my first game, I wasn’t planning on letting it go in the beginning, especially early in counts,” Ohtani said via translator. “As the game went on, I felt better and I started throwing harder, but I think that led to me cutting the ball a couple times, so it’s something I have to work on.”
A Phillies: Bryce Harper homered on his first swing of spring training, launching a opposite-field drive to left. He singled in his next at-bat and was done for the day. ... J.T. Realmuto is still not hitting or throwing, but he made remains on track for the start of the season. The catcher’s cast was removed from his right hand and his fractured thumb is now placed in a splint, allowing him to ramp up his rehabilitation program.
A Astros: Free-agent pitcher Jake Odorizzi, who made the American League All-Star team while pitching for the Twins in 2019, agreed to a two-year deal with the Houston Astros.
A MLB: Former Texas Rangers relievers Sam Dyson was suspended for the entire 2021 season for violating the league’s domestic violence policy. He spent most of the past three of four seasons with the
San Francisco Giants before finishing 2019 with the Minnesota Twins. He did not pitch in 2020 and is a free agent.