Manager Aaron Boone reportedly resisted restarting the rain-curtailed game against Red Sox and went to warn that he would pull Aaron Judge out of the game unless it was called off. The Yankees won the rain-shortened game 2-0.
The game lasted for six innings only and a large number of fans stayed put in Yankee Stadium expecting Judge to come out to bat and hit his 61st home run.
According to Brendan Kuty of NJ Advance Media, Aaron Boone threatened to withdraw Judge after broadcaster ESPN put pressure on MLB to restart the rain-delayed game. The manager was concerned about the impact of the long delay on his player’s health.
Kuty said that ESPN “put pressure on MLB officials to wait out an already long and particularly nasty rain delay” so that it could possibly show Judge’s 61st home run. But both the Red Sox and the Yankees wanted that the game should be called because of the weather. Aaron Boone led the resistance.
This shows how the record-chasing slugger was the man of the moment and he runs the risk of becoming the subject of a tug-of-war between telecast right holders, sponsored, and his team.
After a lengthy rain delay on Sunday, the game between the Yankees and the Boston Red Sox was declared complete to the dismay of the crowd and New York swept the series.
Kuty claimed that Aaron Boone was also worried about the injury risk to his players if they had to go back to a wet field. The manager. He made it clear that he was open to do anything that might ensure his player remain safe. The report disclosed that the manager even didn’t rule out withdrawing Judge if MLB was forced to resume the game after the rain even though the slugger was just a hit away from equalling AL homer record.
Judge’s attempt to break the record for most home runs in the American League is one of the biggest stories in baseball. Since September 20, the power hitter has been stuck at 60 home runs. He has nine more games to match or beat Roger Maris’ 1961 record of 61 home runs in a single season after the first game in Toronto.
Naturally, Major League Baseball and its media partners want to make sure that Judge is viewed by as many fans as possible. Last Saturday, ESPN broadcast live coverage of his at-bats by utilizing a split screen.
However, trying to get the Yankees and Red Sox to play again after the nasty storm and long delay might have been a bad idea.
Kuty said that some people thought the action could start up again around 12:30 a.m. ET. By then, a lot of people who were at Yankee Stadium would have left while those watching it on TV too would have gone to bed.
Even if ESPN commands a big influence over MLB, Boone had the best card to play, and he didn’t seem to be afraid to use it.
Did you agree that Aaron Boone was right to resist starting the rain-delayed game?
