Aaron Boone went savage.
Feeling like second base umpire Brennan Miller had just blown his second call of the game and with no available measure to challenge the play, Boone blew his top and was ejected Tuesday after the last out of the seventh inning in the Yankees’ heart-stopping 5-4 win against the Blue Jays.
“Probably just me being over-amped,” Boone said afterward in an uncharacteristically self-blaming tone. “I thought two missed calls that were important. … That being said, I probably overreacted to it a little bit, but I just kind of snapped on it a little bit because I felt like there [were] two calls and then when you can’t challenge because you feel like one’s already been missed?”
Aaron Boone was ejected for arguing this catch made by Daulton Varsho, as the Yankees lost their challenge earlier on a Volpe caught stealing
The Umpire that ejected Boone was Brennan Miller, the same umpire from the infamous “Savages in the Box” rant pic.twitter.com/xT4vmRFv1l
— Talkin’ Yanks (@TalkinYanks) May 20, 2026
The trouble started in the fourth inning.
Or maybe it started July 18, 2019. That’s when Boone had his notorious “Savages in the box!” tirade that led to an ejection as he disputed Miller’s strike zone.
With that history in mind, fast forward seven years and Boone was unhappy that Miller punched out Anthony Volpe on a stolen base attempt to end the fourth. Boone vehemently signaled to put on the headset and go to replay, which the umpires did — only to uphold the caught stealing after an extended review.
Boone tossed his gum, spit out some expletives and kept stewing.
So, when Miller ruled that center fielder Dalton Varsho made a diving catch to take a hit away from Jazz Chisholm Jr. with a runner on first base, Boone sprinted out of the dugout to behind second base.
Players from both teams lingered on the field as if to suggest that no one was emphatically sure whether it was a catch. The Yankees’ own replay mechanisms suggested that Varsho trapped the ball, Boone confirmed.
“I didn’t control myself very well,” Boone said.
It was Boone’s second ejection of the season and 48th of his managerial career. Boone handed off the lineup card to bench coach Brad Ausmus, who teamed with pitching coach Matt Blake to navigate a tricky final two innings from a short-handed bullpen.
