Aaron Boone made sure Laz Diaz knew the exact spot the latter blew two crucial strike calls.
Then he made sure to mock him on his way back to the clubhouse.
During the Yankees’ series-opening 5-1 loss to the White Sox on Monday evening, Boone blew a fuse on Diaz — the home plate umpire — over what appeared to be an egregious strike zone.
Warning: expletive language
After quickly being ejected, Boone got his money’s worth and continuously barked at Diaz, who shouted right back at Boone.
“You f–king stink,” Boone could be heard yelling in Diaz’s face on the broadcast.
He then walked over to the plate and crouched down to draw a line in the lefty batter’s box, seemingly marking the spot Diaz mistakenly called pitches strikes.
After screaming again at Diaz, Boone then got into an umpire’s stance behind the plate and pretended to call a batter out on strikes before pointing in mockery.
Boone wasn’t done, as he promptly returned to berating Diaz before he was pulled away by the rest of the umpiring crew and bench coach Carlos Mendoza.
“I hear about it every f–king day,” Boone appeared to yell. “You’re s–t.”
Aaron Boone pretends to call a batter out on strikes during the Yankees’ loss to the White Sox on Aug. 7.
Aaron Boone (R.) argues with Laz Diaz during the Yankees’ loss to the White Sox on Aug. 7. Getty ImagesDJ Lemahieu came to the plate with the Yankees trailing 2-1 and with runners on first and third in the seventh inning.
He promptly struck out on three pitches, but Diaz appeared to make two egregious calls in the at-bat.
Diaz called Lane Ramsey’s first-pitch slider a strike, but the broadcast’s and MLB’s strike zone box show that it was several inches outside, even painting the opposite lefty batter’s box.
Aaron Boone draws a line in the batter’s box during the Yankees’ loss to the White Sox on Aug. 7. AP
Aaron Boone is held back while arguing during the Yankees’ loss to the White Sox on Aug. 7. APLemahieu then fouled off the next pitch to fall behind 0-2 in the count, before Diaz struck again.
Diaz next called Ramsey’s fastball, which again appeared several inches outside, a strike to punch out Lemahieu.
Harrison Bader struck out swinging to end the seventh inning before Anthony Volpe began the eighth inning getting called out on strikes.
Two of the pitches Laz Diaz called strikes against DJ Lemahieu appeared to be well outside, according to MLB.com’s GameCast. MLB
Aaron Boone pretends to call a batter out on strikes during the Yankees’ loss to the White Sox on Aug. 7. APThat was the final straw for Boone, who began his tirade after Volpe’s at-bat.
Volpe saw four pitches, although the called strikes did not appear out of the strike zone.
