Getty Image / Quinn Harris
We’ve seen a handful of great freak outs from MLB managers this year, but Aaron Boone of the New York Yankees may take the cake.
Laz Diaz, the umpire behind the plate in the Yankees game against the Chicago White Sox, was essentially having a bad night calling balls and strikes.
At the top of the eighth, Boone finally had enough. The call that set Aaron Boone off was actually a correctly called strike. But considering Diaz was all over the place throughout the game, the Yankees manager stormed onto the field.
To be fair, the umpire dished it back at Aaron Boone too, but ultimately lost control of the exchange when the Yankees manager imitated the umpire right in his face.
Here’s Boone’s interaction with the umpire as he draws a line in the dirt and imitates the umpire before getting tossed.
Aaron Boone drew a line in the dirt and showed Laz Diaz how bad his strike zone was tonight
All time ejection @StoolBaseball pic.twitter.com/mI1VXT8bEB
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) August 8, 2023
I mean, if you’re going to get ejected you might as well get your money’s worth, right? That’s exactly what Boone did here.
And his imitation was rather spot on. Maybe he was a little more flamboyant, but it was in the heat of the moment. I give Boone a solid 9 out of 10.
Here’s Aaron Boone’s strike call right next to Laz Diaz’s.
Laz Díaz and Aaron Boone imitating Laz Díaz
(Aaron Boone is on the right) pic.twitter.com/czwUhBLieP— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) August 8, 2023
It’s not everyday you see a freak out like this. So, even though the Yankees have had a rough go lately, this is just one of the better freak outs you’ll see in baseball.
Maybe this will light a fire under the team and help them turn things around. Who knows? There’s still plenty of time in the regular season to surmount a comeback.