Aaron Boone gets ejected and gives a great rant, a breakdown
What Happened
On July 18, 2019, the Yankees and Rays were set for a rain-threatened doubleheader at Yankee Stadium, and Aaron Boone got tossed early in the first game arguing balls and strikes. A string of pitches at the knees to Gary Sanchez got called balls that looked like strikes, then Aaron Judge took a borderline pitch called a strike despite his huge frame. After Brett Gardner banged his bat on the dugout roof to protest a call he thought was inside, Boone went out to defend his hitters. His ejection rant became famous for the 'savages in the box' line that hot mics picked up.
Why This Matters
Arguing balls and strikes is an automatic ejection in MLB, so Boone knew he was gone the moment he charged the plate. What made this one stick was the delivery. He called his hitters 'savages in the box,' praised the opposing pitcher, and even told the umpire to tighten it up while sounding almost encouraging. The phrase took on a life of its own. The Yankees printed 'Savages in the Box' merchandise, and the line became a rallying cry for a 2019 club that won 103 games and reached the ALCS. Gardner's bat-banging on the dugout roof became its own running bit that season, drawing fines from the league office. For a manager often criticized as too mild, this was the moment Boone showed some fire and his fan base loved him for it.
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Key Moments
Who / What Is Involved
Players: Aaron Boone. Teams: Yankees.
Key Terms Mentioned
Full Transcript
Click timestamps to jump to that momentthe Yankees in the Rays have a
doubleheader today and a lot of rain in
the forecast so it's going to be a long
day and Boon got ejected early that
pitch called a ball looked pretty good
this pitch called ball looked pretty
good
his next pitch called a ball look pretty
good now Gary's not really catching it
framing he's the best but those are
coming across right at the knees Gary
turns around and says something which he
never does he's pretty quiet it's like
yo that's really really bad next up this
pitch the judge is called a strike and
he's like god dammit man I'm super tall
I'm six seven look did you forget how
tall I was look at look at my knees look
at your knees later on Brett Gardner got
called up on a pitch he thought was
inside and he's gonna just bang his bat
around until he found finds the lotted
loudest spot hot mics Gloria Hickey
smiling they're trying to hold it in
I love that cuz DJ's like I know
everyone's riding you and they're being
pretty mean but like if we're being
honest that was like a really outside
pitch
[Applause]
how awesome was that he's complimented
his players said they were savages he
complimented the other pitcher said he's
good pitcher he told the UMP you felt
bad for him empathy and he wanted him to
get better
he said tighten it up a little
encouragement it had it all now I know
I'm biased but I thought that was one of
the better rants from a manager getting
ejected we've had so far this episode
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