Aaron Boone Says He Awarded Aaron Judge the Game Ball After First Ejection

The Yankees manager welcomed Aaron Judge to the ejection club.

New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge (99) and manager Aaron Boone. / Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge was ejected for the first time in his career during Saturday's clash with the Detroit Tigers after voicing his displeasure with a called third strike to home plate umpire Ryan Blakney.

During an appearance on the Talkin' Yanks podcast on Tuesday, Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who is no stranger to being ejected from ballgames, weighed in on the incident and revealed what he said to Judge after the game.

"It was surprising. I don't think he should've got ejected," Boone said. "He's walking away, he's not in an aggressive stance or anything, like, come on, man."

Boone said that he rewarded Judge with the game ball after New York's 5–3 win over the Tigers, and joked that he gave him a, "Welcome to the club."

After Judge's ejection, Boone gave him the game ball and a "welcome to the club" pic.twitter.com/nYFmJ6d4hp

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) May 7, 2024

Boone was ejected seven times last season, which was tied with Cincinnati Reds skipper David Bell for the most in MLB. Already with two ejections under his belt in 2024, Boone paces the American League, a feat he's stunningly achieved in each season since 2021, a span during which he's been tossed 24 times.

Judge, who had gone 869 games without getting ejected in his career, was the first Yankees captain since Don Mattingly in 1994 to get thrown out of a game.

Judge didn't elaborate when asked what was said between him and Blakney, telling reporters that he preferred to leave it out on the field.