It turns out Aaron Boone is to blame for the Jazz Chisholm Jr.–Will Flemming controversy from Sunday.
According to YES Network’s Michael Kay, Boone told Chisholm to swipe both bases in the eighth inning of the New York Yankees‘ 16-1 win over the Boston Red Sox — a decision that drew the ire of WEEI’s play-by-play broadcaster.
Aaron Boone Told Jazz Chisholm to Steal Two Bases in the Eighth Inning Sunday
According to Kay, Boone had initially shut down Chisholm from stealing while the Yankees led 7-1 in the eighth inning.
But when Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy effectively waved the white flag by playing first baseman Nick Sogard behind Chisholm, Boone put on the steal sign — a move that sent Flemming into hysterics and led him to advocate for Boston reliever Jovani Moran to hit Austin Wells.
“Chisholm’s doing it again,” Flemming said after Chisholm cruised into third base for his second stolen base of the inning. “This is what he does.
“That’s a selfish play. That’s just padding your stats. That’s who Jazz is.”
Kay relayed the story on his ESPN Radio show Monday, which he said he’d gotten from a phone call with Boone after Sunday’s game.
“He said, ‘You can’t have it both ways,'” Kay said. “He said, ‘I would not have had Jazz steal if they were holding him on, but I am not going to give away a free run, which might keep me from bringing in [closer David] Bednar, which impacts [Monday night’s] game in Anaheim.'”
Kay reported that neither NESN’s nor YES Network’s cameras caught Boone yelling to Tracy from the Yankees’ dugout that he planned to have Chisholm steal. When Sogard remained behind Chisholm, Boone told him to steal both second and third, giving him his 39th and 40th stolen bases of the season.
“His reasoning is this: ‘I am two batters getting on in the ninth inning from bringing in David Bednar. That run is important, so I told Jazz to steal second, and then when he’s on second and they’re not even checking him, I said you steal third,'” Kay reported Boone saying. “Then Boone said, ‘If it’s so unimportant that you didn’t hold [Chisholm] on, why’d you bring the infield in when he was at third base?’
“Does that change your opinion of Jazz Chisholm? He had nothing to do with it. He was under orders from Aaron Boone to steal the bases.”
Aaron Boone Defended His Decision to Run With Jazz Chisholm Jr.
Boone’s grandfather, Ray, was a major-league player and scout. His father, Bob Boone, also played in the majors and managed the Kansas City Royals and Cincinnati Reds.
Aaron Boone played 12 big-league seasons himself, so he knows a thing or two about baseball’s unwritten rules. He defended how the Yankees played things out.
“I’m an old-school baseball guy,” Boone said, according to The Athletic. “I’ve been around doing this forever. I respect some of the unwritten rules. I really do. I think they’ve evolved and changed some. At the end of the day, I’ve got to do what’s right for my team and try not to get so caught up in what the other team’s doing. I felt like we did the right thing.”
Tracy, a former major leaguer who has been serving as Boston’s interim manager, apologized to Boone after the game, according to Kay, for putting him “in a bad situation.”
Michael Kay Reveals Aaron Boone’s Role in Jazz Chisholm Jr. Controversy That Set Off a Red Sox Broadcaster