A few hours before Friday’s first pitch, Aaron Boone vowed he would attempt to begin a new streak of not getting ejected from games. 

He will have to start working on being on his best behavior Saturday, though, because he was not allowed in the dugout Friday. 

The Yankees manager received a one-game suspension and an undisclosed fine for “his recent conduct toward Major League Umpires,” Major League Baseball said in a statement. Boone served his suspension for the series opener in The Bronx against the Padres, in which bench coach Carlos Mendoza served as the acting manager. 

A night prior, Boone was tossed by home-plate umpire Edwin Moscoso for arguing balls and strikes in the middle of the third inning of a 3-1 loss to the Orioles. 

Boone felt the hook was unwarranted and came onto the field to argue, getting in Moscoso’s face to give him a piece of his mind.

He might have given him some spit, too, that Moscoso had to wipe off his face, and the apparent accidental spittle likely helped trigger the suspension.

Moscoso turned and walked away from Boone, and crew chief Chris Guccione stepped in between the two. Boone kept yelling at Moscoso from a distance. 

The spittle might have been the latest strike against Boone, but the one-game ban emerged from a cumulative build-up of evidence against him.

Boone was tossed for the second time in four games and third time in the past 10 games.

His four ejections this season represent the most in baseball. 

Is it possible that as his ejections mount, he is earning a reputation among umpires that has led to those umpires acting swiftly upon any chirping from Boone? 

He doesn’t think so, but he understands if it has. 

“I think I’ve earned that reputation,” Boone said with a laugh before the suspension was announced. “Do I think it’s leading to a quick hook? Not necessarily. I think [Thursday] night it was. … But that could just be a one-off. 

“I don’t think I’m being targeted by umpires going in like they’re not going to tolerate certain things. I think I’m treated fairly.” 

There is a long way to go, but Boone is on a historic pace for arguing. 

Bobby Cox, the all-time leader in running his mouth to umpires, was tossed 162 times in 4,508 games, or once per about 27.8 games. 

Boone has been tossed 30 times in 760 games as Yankees manager, or once every 25.3 games.

His 30 ejections since 2018 are the most in the majors in the span. 

Thursday, the sixth-year manager moved up to a tie for 57th in all-time manager ejections and is already sixth among active managers, which is led by the Rangers’ Bruce Bochy (78).

Boone moved four behind the Mets’ Buck Showalter — who has managed over 2,500 more games than Boone. 

The single-season record for manager ejections is 11, shared by the Braves’ Cox (2001), Brooklyn Superbas’ Bill Dahlen (1910), New York Giants’ John McGraw (1905 and 1906) and the White Sox’s Paul Richards (1952).

Boone is on pace for about 12.5 this season. 

Some managers use a fury at an umpire to fire up a team.

Some hope that after a certain amount of arguing, an umpire will be influenced into making a call. 

Boone, who has continued to pay the fines, is not trying to yell his way to a shorter stint in the dugout. 

“I don’t like that [the ejections have] happened a few times this week. I’d like to not get ejected. Hopefully I can start a long streak of not getting ejected,” said Boone, whose “savages in the box” ejection went viral in 2019. “I’m not necessarily afraid to [get ejected], but … it’s not my intent to get ejected. 

“I don’t want to, and hopefully I won’t for a while.”