Aaron Boone

Professional career

The Cincinnati Reds picked Aaron Boone in the third round of the 1994 draft. He first played in the majors in June 1997, but got thrown out of that debut game after being called out on a slide into home plate. On the final day of the 1998 season, the Reds put out the only infield in MLB history made up of two sets of brothers: Stephen Larkin at first, Bret Boone at second, Barry Larkin at short, and Aaron Boone at third. On September 22, 2002, Boone hit the final home run ever at Riverfront Stadium, a solo shot in the eighth inning off reliever Dan Plesac during a 4-3 loss to the Phillies.

That year he set a personal best with 26 homers, played every one of the 162 games, and was voted the Reds' team MVP. He also made the 2003 All-Star Game. On July 31, 2003, the Yankees got Boone from the Reds in exchange for Brandon Claussen, Charlie Manning, and cash. Over 54 games with New York, he hit .254 with a .720 OPS, six homers, and 31 RBIs.

In Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS, Boone launched a walk-off homer in the 11th inning off Tim Wakefield, giving the Yankees a 6-5 win over the Red Sox and extending the Curse of the Bambino. The New York Daily News called it the "Curse of the Boonebino." Baseball Tonight ranked it the ninth-greatest home run ever. Some Red Sox fans took to calling him "Aaron Fucking Boone," just as they had called Bucky Dent "Bucky Fucking Dent."

In January 2004, Boone tore the ACL in his left knee while playing a pickup basketball game, an activity banned by standard MLB contracts. The Yankees hinted they would void his deal, and after trading for Alex Rodriguez to play third base, they cut Boone loose on February 27, 2004. He signed a two-year contract with the Cleveland Indians in June 2004, earning $600,000 that season, $3 million in 2005, and a club option for 2006 worth $4.5 million.

After sitting out all of 2004, he played 154 games in 2005, batting .243 with 16 homers and 60 RBIs. The Indians picked up his 2006 option, and he hit .251 with seven homers that year. On December 29, 2006, Boone signed a one-year, $925,000 deal with the Florida Marlins. In 69 games for them in 2007, he batted .286.

Broadcasting career

After his stint as a guest analyst for the 2009 ALCS on MLB Network, Aaron Boone retired from playing on February 23, 2010, to join ESPN. He worked on Monday Night Baseball and the Sunday night edition of Baseball Tonight. Boone called the 2014 and 2015 World Series for ESPN Radio alongside Dan Shulman. In 2016, he became a color commentator on Sunday Night Baseball with Shulman and Jessica Mendoza. Boone kept calling World Series games for ESPN Radio until 2017.

Managerial career

After the 2017 season, the Yankees let Joe Girardi go and brought in Boone as manager on December 4, 2017. His first game was a 6–1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on March 29, 2018. On September 2, 2018, he got a one-game suspension for making illegal contact with an umpire. That season, despite losing star Aaron Judge for two months to a wrist injury, Boone led the team to a 100–62 record, second in the AL East, and into the wild card game against the Oakland Athletics.

The Yankees won that game 7–2 on October 3, 2018, giving Boone his first postseason win as manager, but then lost the AL Division Series three games to one to the Boston Red Sox, who went on to win the World Series. The 2019 season started with a 7–2 win over the Baltimore Orioles on March 28. On September 19, after beating the Los Angeles Angels 9–1, the Yankees clinched the AL East for the first time since 2012 and got their 100th win. Boone became the first MLB manager to reach 100 wins in each of his first two seasons.

The Yankees then fell to the Houston Astros in the AL Championship Series. After 2019, Boone was a finalist for AL Manager of the Year, finishing second to Rocco Baldelli. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, the Yankees started 16–6, then lost 15 of 20 to even their record at 21–21, before winning ten straight to finish 33–27, second in the AL East and seven games behind the Tampa Bay Rays. They swept the Cleveland Indians in a best-of-three wild card series but lost to the Rays in five games in the ALDS.

Personal life

Aaron Boone comes from a baseball family: his father Bob was a catcher and manager, his brother Bret is a four-time Gold Glove winner and current Texas Rangers hitting coach, his brother Matt played in the Reds minor league system, and his grandfather Ray was a major leaguer. As kids, Aaron and Bret hung out in the Phillies clubhouse with other players' sons, including Pete Rose Jr. Boone is a descendant of frontiersman Daniel Boone and a Philadelphia Eagles fan. His wife, Laura Cover, was a Playboy Playmate (Miss October 1998). Before becoming Yankees manager, Boone lived in Scottsdale, Arizona; he then moved to Greenwich, Connecticut. He and Laura have four children—two biological and two adopted. Boone underwent open-heart surgery in 2009 and had a pacemaker implanted in March 2021. After two weeks on the bench following that procedure, he said he felt "awesome."