Yankees manager Aaron Boone at center of sparks as rivalry with Rays reignites

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Aaron Boone, the manager of the New York Yankees, found himself at the center of renewed tensions as the Yankees faced the Tampa Bay Rays for the final time this season. The heated rivalry between the two teams reignited in the late stages of Tampa Bay’s 7-4 victory on Sunday afternoon at Tropicana Field.

During the eighth inning, Yankees reliever Albert Abreu delivered a 95.5 mph sinker that struck All-Star outfielder Randy Arozarena.

This incident marked the second time this year that Arozarena had been hit by Abreu, contributing to a series of hit-by-pitches between the teams. In the game alone, it was the fourth such instance, and throughout the three-game series, it was the fifth occurrence. Notably, it also brought the total count of Rays hitters hit by Yankees pitches in the season to 12. In contrast, the Rays hit New York batters only twice in the 13 games played this season.

What happened

Abreu’s hit on Arozarena sparked two separate benches-clearing incidents in the eighth inning. Arozarena believed the hit was intentional, while both Boone and Abreu asserted that none of the hit-by-pitches were deliberate actions. Despite the escalated tensions, these confrontations did not result in ejections or physical altercations.

Arozarena expressed his thoughts through interpreter Manny Navarro, stating, “I don’t know why. It just seems like they always want to hit Randy. It’s just a coincidence that it’s the same pitcher that hit me the last time.”

The longstanding history of animosity between the American League East rivals, particularly involving inside pitches, was once again in the spotlight. This history reached its peak during the 2020 season when Aroldis Chapman threw a pitch over Mike Brosseau’s head.

In the series opener on Friday night, Yankees reliever Jonathan Loáisiga hit All-Star infielder Yandy Díaz in the left forearm with a fastball. Díaz, though expressing skepticism about intent, displayed clear frustration as he headed to first base. This incident had lasting effects, sidelining Díaz for both the Saturday and Sunday games.

Boone clarifies the incident, stating nothing was intentional

Boone acknowledged the mounting frustrations, stating, “They’ve had a few guys hit this series, so I get it, especially Díaz being out right now. I get the frustration, but nothing is happening on purpose. Obviously, some tempers got going.”

As the tension continued to escalate, three Yankees pitchers hit Rays batters in Sunday’s game. A Carlos Rodón slider caught Osleivis Basabe in the first inning. However, the situation reached a heightened level of concern when reliever Ian Hamilton’s 95 mph sinker struck Isaac Paredes’ batting helmet in the fifth inning, narrowly avoiding his ear. Despite Hamilton’s assertion that he was attempting to throw a two-seamer inside and not hit Paredes, Rays manager Kevin Cash stressed the unsettling nature of the situation.

Despite the unintentional nature of the pitch, Cash emphasized the fear associated with such instances. He said, “It’s a scary moment when any player gets hit with a mid-90s fastball and certainly in the head like Isaac did. Is Hamilton trying to hit him on purpose? No, I’m very confident that he did not. That doesn’t make it less scary, though.”

As tensions escalated, both dugouts were warned, and the Rays refrained from retaliatory actions. The incident prompted questions about the continuation of this feud. The prospect of future clashes remains uncertain, but Arozarena shared his perspective: “I don’t know if it’ll go on. But I’ve been here for three years, and if you look at previous videos, we get hit a lot. Our job is to just keep [going] out there and just playing baseball. That’s what we need to do.”

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