Aaron Boone Reacts to Mike Ford's Controversial Home Run Celebration
ANAHEIM — Mike Ford hasn't exactly spread his wings since the Yankees designated him for assignment and subsequently traded him away last summer.
The first baseman has suited up for eight different teams in 2022, four at the big-league level and four down in Triple-A. Entering play on Monday night, the 30-year-old was hitting .225 in 60 total games across both levels, batting .179 in the Major Leagues.
So when Ford stepped up to the plate for the Angels in the bottom of the fourth on Monday, after Anthony Rizzo had given New York a lead with a towering home run in the top of the frame, Yankees fans in attendance at Angel Stadium weren't concerned in the slightest.
That's when Ford ambushed a first-pitch cutter from starter Frankie Montas, walloping a solo home run 395 feet down the right field line. It was Ford's first home run in the big leagues this year, his first MLB home run not in a Yankees uniform.
What happened next was even more notable than Ford's first big fly since May 22 of last year. Leaning back to admire his work, Ford flipped his bat emphatically, putting his right index finger up to his lips, shushing two times.
The immediate assumption was that Ford was gesturing toward the Yankees dugout. Was it a friendly expression toward some of his former teammates and coaches, or did it come with malicious intent, directed at a team that recently let him go? Could it have been a message to fans heckling him?
After the game, Yankees manager Aaron Boone was asked about that play, an important blow in what turned out to be a 4-3 loss for New York, their third in a row.
"I'm hoping that wasn't the case and he was looking somewhere else," Boone said. "If he did, yeah, that would aggravate me. But I'm not so sure that was the case."
Boone added that he's not looking for "things to get mad at," focusing on the fact that his team didn't get the job done between the lines.
Whether Ford speaks out about the moment or not, we'll never know for certain what the slugger's motive was. Boone has a solid point, though. Rather than focusing on a controversial celebration from an old friend, this team needs to pay attention to the fact that they've lost three games in a row to lowly opponents, failing once again to mount more than a few runs on offense.
MORE:
- Aaron Judge: Latest Home Run Milestone Is 'Just Another Number'
- Yankees' Aaron Judge Clobbers 50th Home Run of 2022 Season
- Yankees Hope to Have Nestor Cortes Back During Upcoming Homestand
Follow Max Goodman on Twitter (@MaxTGoodman), be sure to bookmark Inside The Pinstripes and check back daily for news, analysis and more.
