By JAKE FENNER
Published: | Updated:
The American League has the top-two home run hitters in all of baseball in Cal Raleigh and Aaron Judge. Yet, when faced with a Home Run Derby to win the All-Star Game, New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone picked neither of them.
After putting on a furious six-run comeback to tie the game, the American League manager completely whiffed on his selections for the first ever ‘swing-off’ in All-Star Game history.
The AL was down 6-0 going into the seventh inning, but put on four runs in the top of the seventh.
Then, a miraculous two-run ninth inning extended the game and then forced a ‘swing-off’ for the first time ever. Rules of the swing-off allowed each manager to pick three hitters to take three swings to try and hit the most home runs.
National League manager Dave Roberts, who also leads the Los Angeles Dodgers, sent up Miami’s Kyle Stowers, Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber, and New York Mets star Pete Alonso.
Boone fell flat. While the selection of Home Run Derby participant Brent Rooker of the Athletics made sense, his other two choices were Seattle’s Randy Arozarena and Tampa Bay’s Jonathan Aranda.
AL and Yankees manager Aaron Boone found a way to mismanage a Home Run Derby
After going down 6-0 by the seventh inning, the AL put up a comeback to tie the game after nine innings. A new rule had the ASG end by a Home Run Derby between three players.
Neither Cal Raleigh (L) or Aaron Judge (R) were selected by Boone for the proceedings, despite being first and second in home runs in all of baseball respectively
Arozarena is 31st in baseball for home runs with 17. Aranda has only hit 11 homers – putting him in a tie for 101st.
Rooker took an early lead with two blasts, while Stowers hit only one. Arozarena stepped up and only sent one hit over the wall with his three swings.
Next, Schwarber stepped up and hit all three swings for home runs to take a 4-3 lead for the NL.
Hope rested on the shoulders of Aranda, who needed to hit at least one more home run to extend the proceedings further. Two home runs would force Alonso’s hand even further.
Instead, Alonso never came up to bat. Aranda took three swings and missed on all three of them as the NL won the All-Star Game.
When the dust settled, Boone was roasted on social media for his mind-boggling decision making.
It was only made worse when ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reported that Alonso told journalists that participants in the swing-off ‘are pre-determined by the managers before the game even starts’.
Before the swing-off even happened, sports writer Bill Simmons joked, ‘The AL is gonna get killed in the All-Star Game, then Aaron Boone is gonna tell reporters he liked how his guys looked out there – every AL fan gets to be a Yankee fan tonight.’
The AL took an early lead when Brent Rooker (L) out-swung Kyle Stowers (R)
Randy Arozarena hit a single home run in his three swings, giving the AL a 3-1 lead
But Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber went a perfect 3-for-3 to take a 4-3 lead for the NL
The AL’s final batter was Jonathan Aranda, who has only hit eleven home runs on the season and is 101st in all of baseball. Aranda didn’t hit a single home run and the NL won the game.
Almost instantly after the game, Boone was viciously roasted on social media
Well, the AL didn’t get killed per se. But, the Aaron Boone Experience was in full effect and fans pilloried him on social media.
‘I’m not even a Yankees fan but I want Aaron Boone fired,’ wrote one user on X.
Another joked, ‘Aaron Boone has been my manager for 7 innings and now I know why Yankee fans are always so grumpy.
‘MLB invented those swing-off rules 45 minutes ago and Aaron Boone still found a way to have a managerial disasterclass. God bless him,’ a third user said.
‘This mf Aaron Boone deadass put Jonathan Aranda in the homerun derby with the All Star Game on the line,’ a different post read.
Another user posted, ‘Leave it to Aaron Boone to make the wrong decisions even in a meaningless game.’
Schwarber’s heroics led to him being named the MVP for the All-Star Game.
