Aaron Boone rips umpires over controversial challenge play

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone was livid during and after Wednesday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians over a challenged play that perhaps should not have been permitted.

Boone was tossed in the first inning of Wednesday’s game after the umpires seemingly allowed Guardians manager Terry Francona to challenge a play well after the 15-second challenge period had expired. Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks made a sliding attempt at a fly ball that was initially ruled a catch on the field, and Hicks was able to throw to second base for an apparent double play. Replays indicated, however, that Hicks had trapped the ball, and that Cleveland should have been able to continue the inning.

Under MLB’s rules, managers have 15 seconds to inform umpires that they are challenging a play. Here, however, the game actually went to commercial break while the umpires huddled up, at which point Francona was allowed to challenge. Needless to say, the entire episode took far more than 15 seconds, and Boone went ballistic on the umpiring crew.

Aaron Boone gets tossed after the umpires overturn the out call on the Aaron Hicks play without a review pic.twitter.com/fFkoBBe8do

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) April 12, 2023

Boone made clear after the game that he was still steamed over the Guardians, in his mind, essentially getting a free challenge.

“They conferred and then after they conferred, they go to them for the challenge,” Boone said, via Kevin Manahan of NJ.com. “I just think it completely bailed them out. I disagree still. We’ve been told all winter and all spring that we have to be ready. … It gets thrown up on the scoreboard. I’m not saying they looked at the scoreboard, but obviously you can feel the emotion in the building, and then it’s them getting together to get it right and then going to Cleveland. I think, in the end, bailing them out. I took exception to it.”

Umpire Chris Guccione offered an explanation after the game, though it did not clear much up. Guccione told pool reporter Brendan Kuty of The Athletic that the challenge clock “never got to start” because the umpires decided to huddle.

Picture 1: What #Yankees manager Aaron Boone had to say about the Aaron Hicks play.

Picture 2: What umpire Chris Guccione had to say about it, courtesy of esteemed pool reporter @BrendanKutyNJ. pic.twitter.com/xwRIOlI6YT

— Gary Phillips (@GaryHPhillips) April 12, 2023

Guccione’s explanation suggests that the umpire huddle initiated the review. During the game, however, it was clearly announced as a Cleveland challenge.

Boone is no stranger to animated ejections, but he seems to have had a point here. While it’s good that the umpires ultimately got the call correct, the method they used to get there does not make a lot of sense.