Umps get two calls wrong on one play and Boone gets ejected, a breakdown
What Happened
In the early innings of a tense game between the New York Yankees and the Cleveland Guardians, Yankees pitcher Clark Schmidt faces Guardians batter Oscar Gonzalez with two runners on and one out. Gonzalez pops up a 2-2 fastball into shallow center field, where Yankees center fielder Aaron Hicks makes what appears to be a catch. The umpires immediately signal a double play, with Hicks having caught the ball and the runner at second base being doubled off. However, Guardians manager Terry Francona (known as "Tito") notices something amiss and requests a replay review. Upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that Hicks did not actually catch the ball cleanly - it hit his glove and then bounced to the ground. The umpires, who had only 15 seconds to initiate a review, had missed this crucial detail. Both the Yankees and Guardians replay teams had been focused on whether the runner at second had properly tagged up, rather than the initial catch/drop by Hicks. This means that the inning-ending double play call was incorrect, and the Guardians should have scored a run on the play. Caught in a dilemma, neither manager wants to challenge the call, as that would force the umpires to review the entire sequence and potentially give the opposing team an advantage. Yankees manager Aaron Boone is visibly frustrated by the umpires' mistakes and the subsequent handling of the situation. He argues vehemently, noting that the umpires had previously informed teams that they would have a strict 15-second window to initiate a replay review. Boone feels the umpires have now gone back on their word, allowing the Guardians to potentially challenge the play despite the time limit having elapsed. Boone's animated protests lead to his ejection from the game, much to the delight of the home crowd. As he leaves the field, Boone acknowledges that the umpires eventually got the call correct, but he remains incensed by the way the situation was handled, stating that it goes against the guidelines the teams had been given during the offseason. The game continues, with both managers and teams frustrated by the officiating errors and the ensuing chaos.
Full Transcript
Click timestamps to jump to that momentburn the first inning it's early there's
two Runners on one out Clark Schmidt
pitching to nailer a 2-2 count and
fastball up popped up into shallow
center field Hicks comes on grabs it
they say a catch they double up the
runner at second inning ending double
play Yanks get out of it Tito says hold
up we're gonna take a look at that but
the thing is all the replay people they
weren't looking at this first and they
have a strict 15 seconds clearly Hicks
did not come up with that ball it hits
his glove and then hits the ground so
it's not a clean catch but like I said
in the 15 seconds both teams have both
replay teams didn't go to this first
they went to see if he tagged up first
if it was a good tag so he can't leave
the base until the ball's caught and
he's good there but then also he has to
score before they get that out at second
base which did not happen but the Umpire
said it did so they counted this run so
both the Guardians and the Yankees
replay teams they watched this first
here's both managers talking about it I
have some anxiety that he left early and
then I have some more anxiety that he
didn't score so I'm fighting do I even
want it you know I mean I did I didn't
even look at the plane Center so by the
time it gets to that point I hadn't
challenged
I knew they missed the timing play but
also knew they missed that so we weren't
challenging the play because I didn't
want them to have the ability to go look
at the play so new so neither manager is
challenging this play because they got
two calls wrong so the Yankees are like
we don't want to challenge that the Run
didn't count because then they're just
gonna see that he didn't catch the ball
and Tito is saying we don't want a
challenge that he didn't catch the ball
because if he did catch the ball they're
also going to see that the Run shouldn't
count so both managers were like yeah
let's just let this lie because we don't
want to give the other team an advantage
by challenging and then this is how it
broke down on the field
so that Ball's clearly out
you can hear Boone say oh yeah we're
good but then the Umpire here's the
reaction to the crowd after they see the
replay and he's like oh boy guys we
missed that did you see they showed it
on Jumbotron what should we do like uh
why don't we go make sure
Tito doesn't want a challenge like hey
Terry you sure you don't want a
challenge because did you see what we
just saw on the replay and Boone's like
you better not be doing what I think
you're doing you better not be don't put
that earpiece in don't put oh boy he
comes out now he's about to lose his
mind on him [ __ ] [ __ ] he ain't
challenging [ __ ]
[ __ ] he's gotta let you know right
away you guys missed the first runner
and I looked at it and I didn't [ __ ]
challenge it [ __ ] he can't [ __ ]
challenge no [ __ ] way he can
challenge so Boone's mad because he's
like you just gifted him a challenge we
were all playing the same game bull
[ __ ] [ __ ] [ __ ]
I didn't challenge the runner back here
and then you guys go meet and then you
walk up him you let him [ __ ]
challenge what's that about he's like no
hold up hold up we're just trying to get
the play right we're just trying to get
it right booney he's like huh
no you can't this is something that
changed from last year where they're
like the managers have a strict 15
seconds to challenge and that's all and
that's why boonie's so fired up because
you're gonna see him say that's
horseshit you guys [ __ ] did this to
us all spring now this is how it's
[ __ ] handled
stop hey you need to stop oh [ __ ] I need
to [ __ ] stop you guys [ __ ] let him
challenge after he could see it on the
[ __ ] board now they're clapping
because he got ejected Boone's like did
you just throw me out yes okay all right
well whatever back to the point you
didn't challenge you see it on the
[ __ ] board
Plies [ __ ] [ __ ] he's mad he
doesn't know he's walking over there
he's a man that guy double Birds him in
the background God damn it what are you
doing it's [ __ ] call after call all
winter long all spring this is what you
told us you have five 15 seconds you get
the chance you have 15 seconds you'll
get the challenge and then you [ __ ] it
up get it the [ __ ] together it's
[ __ ]
fans are cheering Boonies leaving
but when he's leaving now he does admit
they did get the call correct he's like
I get it they got the call correct you
know they got the playwright they I will
say that they got the play right they
just handled it wrong and they've been
telling us all spring this is how it was
going to handle and it was very smart of
me not to challenge because I knew he
dropped the ball but then you show it on
the replay and you go hey Tito you want
to challenge it you see what they see
and he's mad about it he's going to go
back out he can't figure it out he's
like no way this is right and that's not
the rule you told us in Spring you
cannot challenge it whenever you want I
want you to check that he can challenge
it he can't do it you know and I'm just
like well we already ran it and he goes
well it is one of the stupidest I want
you to check that he can challenge it
whenever he [ __ ] wants whenever he
[ __ ] wants to I want you to check he
said you want me to check yeah I want
you to do a rule check and I want to
protest I'm putting the p in the air you
know and then I'm just like actually
booney you can't protest anymore it's
like because it's awful after you guys
[ __ ] it up both ways it was out before
he scores on that by the way and I
didn't challenge I saved you guys face
there because I knew you better I knew
you messed up both plays you know I'm
just helping you out you go do this to
me I'm over it Aaron Boone is a guest on
our podcast every single week so if you
want to hear us talk to him about this
and see if I got the lip reading right
make sure you tune in next Tuesday on
talking Yanks