Ejection of Yankees' DJ LeMahieu far more unusual than the one involving Aaron Boone

BOSTON — A day later, Aaron Boone had cooled down considerably regarding a replay decision from the 10th inning of Friday night’s 2-1 loss to the Red Sox. It resulted not only in the 42nd ejection of his career but the first in the 15-year career of DJ LeMahieu.

“I tried to put this behind me,” Boone said with a smile when the topic was raised before Saturday night’s game.

The Yankees' manager was ejected in the top of the 10th after LeMahieu scorched one down the rightfield line that first-base umpire Jeremie Rehak called foul. The Yankees challenged, and despite one replay (which also was seen on the big screen in centerfield at Fenway Park) that appeared to show the baseball nicking the white line in right, the call stood.

That was enough for Boone, who, while yelling, whipped his gum in the direction of plate umpire John Tumpane and promptly was ejected for the third time this season (all on-field personnel are prohibited from arguing any replay decision, which is made by umpires in New York).

Boone getting tossed came as no surprise. He led or was tied for the American League lead in ejections each of the previous four seasons.

LeMahieu?

That’s an entirely different matter. After grounding out to end the 10th, he said something to Rehak and was tossed for the first time in 1,652 career games.

“Of all the things I’ve said to umpires, I was pretty surprised,” LeMahieu said.

Boone said on Saturday he was surprised on Friday night when he saw LeMahieu go past him in the long tunnel leading to the Yankees’ clubhouse.

“I thought he was just maybe going to grab something, and he kept going [to the clubhouse],” Boone said. “I think Blake [pitching coach Matt Blake] told me, ‘Yeah, DJ got tossed.’ I was like, ‘Whoa.’ ”

LeMahieu, among the most respected players in the clubhouse,  also is among the quietest. His “of the things I’ve said” comment aside, his reputation among umpires is good because he typically doesn’t say much to them.

LeMahieu would fairly easily win a poll inside the clubhouse of "least likely Yankees position player to be ejected.''

His exchange with Rehak, who worked the plate Saturday night, did not seem to rise to the level of ejection-worthy, which generally amounts to avoiding direct insults, curse words or any sentence that includes the word “you” in it.

“I just said, ‘That was a brutal call,’ ” LeMahieu said. “He [Rehak] said, ‘What did you say?’ I was like, ‘That was brutal.’ That was it. Obviously, it’s a high-intensity moment in the game and high pressure and emotions are running high.”

Players who have the kind of reputation among umpires that LeMahieu does usually are given a little more of a leash when it comes to interactions with umpires, though there are exceptions.

Aaron Judge was a notable one on May 4, 2024. After a borderline called third strike, while walking slowly back to the dugout, he received the first ejection of his career when plate umpire Ryan Blakney ran him.

Judge has one of the best reputations, if not the best, among players across the sport when it comes to dealing with umpires (and still does).

“I knew it was coming at some point,” Judge said Friday night of LeMahieu’s ejection. “For good reason on that one. That’s a fair ball. Not much to it.”

Boone, who spoke to MLB senior vice president of on-field operations Michael Hill on Friday night regarding his ejection and what led to it, did not take Rehak too much to task Saturday, even when it came to LeMahieu’s ejection.

“I think some people have earned a longer leash, but I understand they’re in a tough spot, too, in how they get challenged,” Boone said of the umpires. “I think for the most part they do fine with it. That said, based on what it sounds like, do I think that rises to a level of getting tossed for DJ? Absolutely not. But I don’t think Jeremie’s out there trying to throw guys out or is overly emotional.”

By Erik Boland

erik.boland@newsday.comeboland11

Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.