Yankees manager Aaron Boone suspended for one game following confrontation with umpire

After an 80-minute rain delay, the Yankees took the field for the first game of their doubleheader against the Rays. The Bombers were swiftly greeted by an egregiously poor strike zone called by home plate umpire Brennan Miller.

Miller, who made his major-league debut on April 20, heard chirping from the Yankees’ dugout right from the first inning. Gary Sanchez could be seen shaking his head behind the plate as well. It was a rough start to the game for the rookie umpire.

Tensions boiled over in the bottom of the second, however, when Miller called Brett Gardner out on strikes.

Baseball Savant

Not great! Gardner proceeded to the dugout and put on one of the more entertaining scenes of the season, jabbing his bat into the wall before using it to poke at the ceiling.

While Gardner auditioned for a job operating a pike pole with the FDNY, Boone continued to bark at Miller. That earned him an ejection, his third of the season, and the Yankees manager got his money’s worth.

My favorite part is how Boone tells Miller he feels sorry for him, but has to clean it up. Amazing.

The performance earned Boone cheers from the Yankee Stadium crowd, including a curtain-call chant. This has to be his most popular moment since getting hired in December 2017, right? Good for him. Now let’s just hope he doesn’t get suspended again...

Update 7/19/2019: Boone was indeed suspended for one game, which he will serve tonight. Josh Bard will manage against the Rockies.