Yankees manager Aaron Boone found himself on the receiving end of an erroneous ejection during a game against the Oakland Athletics due to a misunderstanding involving home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt.
Television cameras captured footage of a fan directing inappropriate comments toward Wendelstedt, yet, inexplicably, the umpire chose to eject Boone instead. Despite Boone’s plea of innocence, Wendelstedt remained unmoved, stating that he had heard something from the Yankees’ dugout and held Boone accountable as the manager.
“Aaron Boone is the manager of the New York Yankees and is responsible for everything that happens in that dugout,” Wendelstedt explained after the game. “I don’t want to eject a ballplayer. We need to keep them in the game. That’s what the fans pay to see. Aaron Boone runs the Yankees. He got ejected.”
However, video evidence clearly contradicts Wendelstedt’s claim. The footage distinctly shows a fan, not anyone from the dugout, shouting at the umpire. Boone’s vehement protests fell on deaf ears as Wendelstedt maintained his stance, asserting that he heard something from the dugout, even if it wasn’t Boone.
“He said that ‘A fan said it, a fan said it.’ I said, ‘I don’t care who said it.’ … It’s foolish to throw out a player if you don’t know who did it. The manager’s there, Aaron took the hit and he probably you know is not the one who made the comment but once again, he’s the manager of the Yankees and he’s responsible for the team,” Wendelstedt stated.
Boone expressed his frustration with the situation, calling the ejection “embarrassing” and indicating that he would be reaching out to Major League Baseball. The incident adds to the growing concerns about the questionable officiating in the league, raising concerns about the fairness and accuracy of umpire decisions.
