During Monday's game between the New York Yankees and the Oakland Athletics, Yankees manager Aaron Boone was ejected by home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt just five pitches into the game. The incident occurred following a play where Esteury Ruiz was hit on the back foot by a pitch from Carlos Rodón.
Boone, standing on the dugout steps, questioned whether Ruiz had swung at the pitch. After first base umpire John Tumpane ruled that Ruiz did not swing and should take first base, the situation escalated.
Wendelstedt, the home plate umpire, could be heard on a microphone yelling at Boone, stating that he had checked the play and did not appreciate being yelled at. A fan behind the dugout then reportedly made a remark towards the umpire, leading to Boone's ejection from the game.
Despite Boone's protests that he did not say anything, Wendelstedt insisted on ejecting him, citing that it did not matter who made the comment. This marked Boone's second ejection of the season and the 35th time he has been ejected in his seven seasons as the Yankees manager.
Following Boone's ejection, bench coach Brad Ausmus took over as the acting manager for the remainder of the game.
This incident adds to the ongoing tensions between managers, umpires, and fans in Major League Baseball games. The Yankees went on to face the Athletics without Boone's presence in the dugout, highlighting the impact of in-game ejections on team dynamics.
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