Yankees manager Aaron Boone was tossed from Monday’s game against the A’s after home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt believed comments from fans came from the Yankees dugout. On Tuesday, the YES Network broadcast couldn’t resist getting in on the fun, with broadcasters Ryan Ruocco and John Flaherty joking about a possible Hunter Wendelstedt impression by home plate ump John Tumpane. “John Tumpane — was that a Hunter Wendelstedt impression? There’s Hunter,” Ruocco said as the camera panned to Tumpane. “Didn’t want to take ownership of that yesterday, either. His postgame comments were interesting.” The bit continued as the YES cameras panned to some fans behind the A’s dugout. “Was it any of them or was it someone actually in the A’s dugout?” Ruocco added. Wendelstedt had doubled down on his decision to toss Boone after the game, saying he heard something come from the dugout and that as the manager, Boone was the one who had to go. Other umpires have also been involved in dugout confrontations this week. Giants announcer Duane Kuiper made light of a similar situation during the team’s game against the Mets on Tuesday night when home plate umpire Lance Barrett warned the Mets dugout for its comments during Starling Marte’s at-bat. “Lance Barrett not happy with someone in the Mets dugout,” Kuiper said. “Let’s just hope it’s not a fan that’s doing the yelling.” Mets play-by-play man Gary Cohen chimed in as well, asking, “Was it [manager] Carlos [Mendoza] or was it a fan sitting behind him?” When asked about the situation on Tuesday, Boone said he was ready to move on. “I saw his comments after the game. I think everyone has seen the video of what happened,” Boone said. “You saw my comments, you saw his comments. I’m beyond it now. Let’s move on. We have an important game tonight. That’s where my focus is, and just kind of moving on from it.” The Yankees defeated the A’s on Tuesday, 4-3, at Yankee Stadium.
Yankees Manager Aaron Boone Moves Past Ejection Flap; YES Network Gets in on the Fun
