Yankees' Aaron Boone reacts to ejection that was caused by fan: 'It's embarrassing'

Aaron Boone was ejected two batters into Monday afternoon’s game with the Oakland Athletics when home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt wrongfully tabbed the Yankees' manager for a comment that appeared to come from a fan sitting behind the home team's dugout.

"It's embarrassing," Boone said after the game, a 2-0 loss. "It really is a bad... it's embarrassing."

When asked if he would be reaching out to MLB about the ejection, Boone indicated he would before the exasperated skipper added, "Just, just, you know, not good."

The incident began when the manager had some words for the umpire after Oakland leadoff man Esteury Ruiz was hit by a Carlos Rodon slider on the game's fourth pitch in the top of the first.

Boone said he "didn't really go after Hunter," he was "more upset on the appeal" to first base that Ruiz offered at the pitch, which could've negated the HBP and resulted in a strike.

"I said, 'Hunter you can call it, too,'" Boone said after the game. "And he came back at me pretty hard, to which I didn't respond. I just said, 'OK.'"

Wendelstedt instructed Boone not to say another word. When he heard something from the manager's vicinity, he promptly tossed Boone.

The problem was a fan in the first row of seats and to Boone's left appeared to make the offending remark, as the video shows Boone's mouth shut and a fan, wearing a blue pullover, making a comment.

Speaking to a pool reporter after the game, Wendelstedt explained the ejection came when there was one more comment made from the dugout after he had warned them.

"I know what Aaron was saying that it was a fan above the dugout. That's fine and dandy. There were plenty of fans that were yelling at me before I called a pitch till the end of the game," he said. "What happened was, it wasn't him, it wasn't over where [bench coach Brad Ausmus] was. It wasn't where the coaching staff and Aaron [were], but Aaron Boone is the manager of the New York Yankees and is responsible for everything that happens in that dugout."

In the umpire's opinion, the "cheap shot came towards the far end [of the dugout]" and rather than "being aggressive and walking down to the far end and trying to figure out who might have said it" and ejecting a player, which he didn't want to do – "We need to keep them in the game, that's what the fans pay to see," he said – the manager paid the price for the comment the umpire heard come from the dugout.

After the ejection, Boone can be heard on the video saying, “I didn’t say anything,” while pointing out that the noise came from the crowd.

Wendelstedt responded: “I don’t care."

After the game, Wendelstedt said, "In the entirety of my career, I have never ejected a player or a manager for something a fan has said. I understand that's going to be part of a story or something like that because that's what Aaron was portraying.

"I heard something come from the far end of the dugout, had nothing to do with his area. But he's the manager of the Yankees. So he's the one that had to go."

After the game, Boone said his anger was escalated by Wendelstedt saying he "didn't care" that the manager didn't say the offending remark.

"He came at me hard and I didn't have issue with him," he said, reiterating that he told the umpire OK after hearing the initial response. "I kinda gave him a thumbs up and stood down. I mean, look, I think everyone saw what happened."

Boone said there had been no bad blood between the two in the past, but admitted he was "pretty fiery initially just wanting to make my point with [umpire John Tumpane] at first, like, 'Hey, obviously he got hit, but it was clear to me he took a swing at it, too.

"And then he made his point firmly back, Hunter did, and that was it."

He added: "Obviously, it was not right."

Despite the incident – and the quick hooks that he has been on the end of in the past – Boone does not believe he is treated unfairly by umpires and has a "good relationship with a lot of them."

"I'm sure, human nature, I'm obviously a little more vocal and firey than some. So I'm sure it gets some people perked up," he said. "But overall, I feel like I'm treated fairly."