Aaron Boone

Aaron John Boone (born March 9, 1973) is an American baseball manager and former infielder who is the manager of the New York Yankees in Major League Baseball (MLB).

The California Angels selected Boone on the third day of the 1991 MLB draft, but he had no intention to sign a professional contract.

He attended the University of Southern California (USC) and played college baseball for the USC Trojans.

In 1993, he played collegiate summer baseball for the Orleans Cardinals of the Cape Cod Baseball League, where he was named a league all-star and helped lead Orleans to the league championship.

The Cincinnati Reds selected Boone in the third round of the 1994 MLB draft.

He previously played in MLB for 13 seasons from 1997 to 2009.

Boone made his MLB debut in June 1997, and was ejected from the game after being called out sliding into home.

On the last day of the 1998 season, the Reds started the only MLB infield composed of two sets of brothers: first baseman Stephen Larkin, second baseman Bret Boone, shortstop Barry Larkin, and third baseman Aaron Boone.

On September 22, 2002, Boone hit the last home run in Riverfront Stadium in the eighth inning of the Reds' 4–3 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies, a solo home run off reliever Dan Plesac.

Boone hit a career-high 26 home runs in 2002, playing in all 162 games.

The Reds named Boone their team's most valuable player.

As a player, Boone is most recognized for his 2003 campaign with the Yankees, during which he hit the winning walk-off home run of the 2003 American League Championship Series.

He appeared in the 2003 MLB All-Star Game.

The New York Yankees acquired Boone from the Reds for Brandon Claussen, Charlie Manning, and cash on July 31, 2003.

In 54 games after the trade, he hit .254 with a .720 OPS, six home runs and 31 RBIs.

During Game 7 of the 2003 American League Championship Series (ALCS), Boone hit a walk-off home run in the 11th inning, off Tim Wakefield, which gave the Yankees a 6–5 victory over the Boston Red Sox, thus prolonging the Curse of the Bambino.

The New York Daily News dubbed the play the "Curse of the Boonebino".

This home run was rated the ninth-best home run of all time on Baseball Tonight.

Afterward, some Red Sox fans called Boone "Aaron Fucking Boone," much as they called Bucky Dent "Bucky Fucking Dent."

In January 2004, Boone tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during a pick-up basketball game.

The game violated the standard MLB player contract, which forbids taking part in off-season basketball, skiing, and surfing.

The Yankees immediately hinted that they would terminate his contract.

Soon after trading for Alex Rodriguez to play third base, the Yankees released Boone on February 27, 2004.

Boone signed a two-year contract with the Cleveland Indians in June 2004.

He earned $600,000 for 2004, $3 million for the 2005 season, and a club option for the 2006 season worth $4.5 million.

After missing the entire 2004 season, Boone played 154 games in 2005.

He batted .243 with 16 home runs and 60 RBIs.

The Indians exercised an option on Boone's contract for the 2006 season.

In his second season with Cleveland, he batted .251 with seven home runs.

On December 29, 2006, Boone signed a one-year contract with the Florida Marlins worth $925,000.

He batted .286 in 69 games for the Marlins in 2007.

On December 6, 2007, Boone signed a one-year, $1,000,000 contract with the Washington Nationals.

In 104 games, Boone hit .241 with 6 home runs and 28 RBIs in 2008.

On December 18, 2008, Boone signed a one-year $750,000, plus incentives, deal with the Houston Astros.

He played in only 10 games in 2009, reaching base only once—on a hit by pitch—in 14 plate appearances.

In March 2009, Boone underwent open-heart surgery to replace a bicuspid aortic valve, a condition that he has been aware of since childhood, but which routine tests indicated had recently worsened.

Following the conclusion of his playing career, Boone was an analyst for ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball and Baseball Tonight from 2010 to 2017.

He began serving as the Yankees' manager in 2018, leading the team to two 100-win records during his first two seasons and playoff appearances in the first five.

Boone attended Villa Park High School in Villa Park, California.

He batted .423 with 22 stolen bases for the school's baseball team in his senior year, and was named the Century League's co-player of the year.