Aaron Boone's Focus on Umpires Overshadows More Pressing Yankees Issues

The 2018 American League Division Series may have been an omen. In Aaron Boone's first year as manager, the Boston Red Sox thrashed the New York Yankees, and it was the first of many beatings his squad took at the hands of rivals.

When his Yankees lose, it feels like a spectacle, and it's usually at the hands of a rival. From the Astros to the Sox, Blue Jays, and Rays, a common theme emerges: Boone's squad falls short, rarely rising to the occasion in a big series, and this week has been no different.

This is why, when Boone started going after umpire Doug Eddings after another crushing loss to Tampa at the Trop, it felt like his priorities weren't in order. With his team dangerously close to falling six back in the American League East, his biggest complaint of the night was more about officiating.

Earlier in the game, Boone had been tossed after Eddings called Josè Caballero out at second on a steal, and the manager felt his squad wasn't given enough time to challenge it. It was this that incensed him, Boone explained.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone and bench coach Brad Ausmus were both ejected after the umpire ruled they took too long to challenge pic.twitter.com/NE0h2Zq2ma
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) July 9, 2026

Boone vs. the umps

"He didn't allow the challenge to go through. I thought we were in time," Boone said, according to the New York Daily News' Gary Phillips. "I haven't looked to know, but I should have kept myself in the game. That's not a good time to go out there and get personal with it, just based on some things with this crew. So I gotta do a better job in that spot to stay in the game."

Boone followed that up by again mentioning he had a personal gripe with the crew, likely stemming from an incident on Monday in which Eddings didn't notice Jasson Dominguez tapping his helmet and challenging a strike call.

"I don't like to make it personal like that," he continued, "and I shouldn't have done that."

Boone is angry at the wrong things

Boone was apologetic for getting tossed, and yet, in a moment when his team was about to fall five games back in the AL East and was in danger of it being six by the end of the series, these personal feuds with umpire crews make it seem like he's focusing on the wrong thing. This has happened for years, too, with Boone once mentioning that he had been bullied by one crew after a game.

It's not to say that Boone doesn't rip his team behind closed doors after games, but his postgame comments have followed the same cookie-cutter formula, where he is sure his squad will turn the corner, no matter what position he's in. No amount of ugly play or defensive gaffes on the field can sway his undying belief in his team or particular players who have shown no signs of turning it around.

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone (17) talks with umpire Nate Tomlinson (34) as second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. (13) looks on during the tenth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If Boone's job is to play the PR man in front of cameras, that's fine, and everything he says should be taken with a grain of salt when he paints a rosier picture than what has happened on the field. It's just that finally choosing umpires to show passion is a bad look.

Look, Boone does care. This isn't a way of saying he doesn't. It just comes off that he isn't taking these losses personally, but rather that an umpire beef is what's getting him riled up.

So far, his legacy is that of a manager who will win a ton of games, but the public view is that his teams never show up when it matters. In a lot of ways, it's true. Every year, there's a regularly scheduled swoon, and in the middle of it, some thumping by a division rival.

Last year, it was the Jays. This season, it's Tampa.

If he's not going to rip his team, maybe it's best to keep the umpire beefs to himself. Fans aren't worried about his on-screen rivalries with officials. They want to see another World Series in their lifetime. You don't hang banners for umpire rivalries.

Add us as a preferred source on Google