Yankees' Aaron Boone explains erupting on umpire after ejection vs. Mariners

New York Times

14-05-2025

SEATTLE — Aaron Boone and Mark Wegner were screaming face to face, close enough to smell the dinner on each other's breath. The New York Yankees manager and the home plate umpire went at it for nearly a minute, arguing and cursing, before first base umpire Bruce Dreckman broke them up.
It came after Boone was ejected in the ninth inning of what became a 2-1, 11-inning loss to the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on Tuesday night.
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Boone said he was defending designated hitter Jasson Domínguez, who disagreed with Wegner's called third strike on a low fastball so much that he threw his hands in the air in disgust and said something walking away from the umpire.
'It was a bad call,' Boone said, 'and everybody knew it.'
There was a runner on second base with one out and the score tied 1-1. The count was 1-2. Reliever Andrés Muńoz delivered a 99.5 mph fastball that appeared to cross over the center of the plate just below Domínguez's kneecaps.
Wegner called it for a third strike. The 22-year-old Domínguez, typically reserved, wore a stunned look as he lifted his head, stared into the dugout and then out into space with his hands high.
Aaron Boone got ejected after Jasson Dominguez went down on strikes pic.twitter.com/ApeKxXRbMU
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) May 14, 2025
He took a step toward first base, still in disbelief, and then walked across the plate and toward the Yankees' dugout on the third base side. Boone came out to get between Domínguez and Wegner, and Boone said something in the process that set Wegner off. It was Boone's second ejection of the season.
Boone said he didn't intend to argue with Wegner, a 53-year-old umpire who has been in the majors since 1998, which was Boone's second season as a player in the bigs.
'You don't see J.D. react like that,' Boone said. 'I was trying to just go out and make sure J.D. was staying in the game. I was trying to get my player out of there, and I thought it was kind of a quick (ejection) there. So, that's all it was. Clearly, he missed one in a big spot there.'
He said he wanted to be a distraction. During the argument, TV microphones picked up Boone yelling, 'You don't think so?' at Wegman.
Did Wegman tell Boone that he thought he got the call right?
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'I mean, I'm not going to get into it,' Boone said. 'Everyone saw it. He did initially, yeah.'
Domínguez said he immediately believed the pitch was too low and that he was 'shocked' at the call.
'I was mad for a little bit,' he said. 'I'm not going to say what I said to him, but I said some words.'
He appreciated Boone supporting him.
'He's our manager,' the DH said. 'It was not just with me but for everybody. He's always taking care of our backs.'
The Yankees lost in the 11th inning when J.P. Crawford lifted a soft line drive to left field off reliever Tim Hill to score Leody Taveras from third base.
Boone has the fourth-most career ejections among active managers at 41, behind Bruce Bochy (86), Bob Melvin (65) and Terry Francona (51).
(Photo of umpire Mark Wegner and Yankees manager Aaron Boone: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)