Yankees manager Aaron Boone suspended for Tigers series finale

According to multiple reports, Yankees manager Aaron Boone has been suspended ahead of today’s series finale against the Tigers. He also received a fine for the outburst. Boone told reporters that Major League Baseball issued the suspension because he made contact with umpire Nic Lentz on Friday night.

The entire fracas stemmed from Lentz’s erratic strike zone. Boone vocally protested from the dugout, and Lentz ejected him from the game. That brought the Yankees manager on to the field, where he got face-to-face with the umpire. It’s at this point that the brim of Boone’s cap made contact with Lentz’s face. In the highlight of the protest, Boone got into the catcher’s position to demonstrate an accurate zone. You can read our full write up on the incident here.

In Boone’s absence, bench coach Josh Bard will reportedly manage the squad this afternoon. The 40-year-old had an extensive big league career, playing in parts of nine seasons across five teams. He previously served as the Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen coach before joining New York’s staff in 2018.

Boone has received his fair share of criticism this season, In particular, many questioned his lack of fire or animation. This should, however, go a long way to replace that erase that reputation. Boone went to bat for his players in a big way, and received a hefty punishment because of it.