Aaron Boone Claps Back During Press Conference Over Question He Took Exception To

Boone did not like this one.
Boone is hoping to manage the Yankees to their first World Series appearance since 2009.
Boone is hoping to manage the Yankees to their first World Series appearance since 2009. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees felt like they were on top of the world. They (Aaron Judge, then Giancarlo Stanton) hit back-to-back home runs off elite closer Emmanuel Clase to tie and then go ahead of the Cleveland Guardians in the eighth inning of Game 3 of the ALCS. But then Guardians outfielder Jhonkensy Noel hit a home run in the ninth inning to tie it and send it to extra innings. Then David Fry hit a walk-off home run to end it.

For a moment, it felt like the Yankees going up 3-0 was a sure thing. Now, it's 2-1, and the Guardians are very much in this series.

After the game, Boone was asked if he ever felt like the Yankees had the game, "in the bag." He was clearly ticked at the question, responding and almost mocking the reporter's ask, saying, "That's, come on, no. Got this in the bag? Stop it with that."

The reporter clarified that the celebration from the Yankees dugout gave the impression that the team felt like they had won it. "It's the playoffs, man, you hit [game-]tying home runs and go-ahead homers... That's what it looks like."

"You never have anything in the bag in the playoffs, no. It's, you never take anything for granted. So no, I mean, but you're gonna celebrate big moments all the time like that."

After going ahead late and seeing his closing pitchers succumb to the Guardians offense, that feeling of never having it in the bag was all too real for Boone to even entertain the idea after Game 3.

Game 4 is Friday night.


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Josh Wilson
JOSH WILSON

Josh Wilson is the news director of the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in 2024, he worked for FanSided in a variety of roles, most recently as senior managing editor of the brand’s flagship site. He has also served as a general manager of Sportscasting, the sports arm of a start-up sports media company, where he oversaw the site’s editorial and business strategy. Wilson has a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from SUNY Cortland and a master’s in accountancy from the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois. He loves a good nonfiction book and enjoys learning and practicing Polish. Wilson lives in Chicago but was raised in upstate New York. He spent most of his life in the Northeast and briefly lived in Poland, where he ate an unhealthy amount of pastries for six months.