Friends, the last day of Spring Training has come and gone. It’s time for the Yanks to travel back to New York for Opening Day, where they’ll take on the Toronto Blue Jays this Thursday. Just because today was the last day of spring, however, does not mean that it was uneventful. Far from it, in fact.
More on that in a second. First, the Yanks played a game today and they lost it to Detroit 5-2. They finished the Grapefruit League season 14-12, if you’re one of the 5 people in the universe who cares about that. Next time they play, the game will count. I can’t wait for that. On to the final news and notes of the Grapefruit League season after the jump.
Another day, another Grapefruit League win for the New York Yankees. That’s eight in a row now, and today’s was a pitching beauty: 9 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 2 BB, 9 K. Props to Jordan Montgomery, Jhoulys Chacin, and Lucas Luetge for this gem.
Here is today’s requisite video:
Four scoreless, hitless innings so far for Jordan Montgomery. Here’s Jay Bruce fielding the final out of the fourth: pic.twitter.com/fU08Q34gHy
The Yankees played a Grapefruit League game today. They won that game. That’s the 7th game in a row now. Look, Spring Training is silly and all, but it’s nice when the Yankees win. Even in March. Let’s keep this energy up all season, guys.
Gerrit Cole took the hill. I’ll have more to say about that in a minute, but here is today’s Spring Training video courtesy of Bryan Hoch:
Gerrit Cole follows 99 mph 🔥 by pulling the string at 89 mph. Strikeout of Akil Baddoo: pic.twitter.com/hnAKSPMali
Happy Saturday afternoon, everyone. Sadly, there’s no way to watch the Yankees and Pirates square off today, but the Bombers will be back on TV tomorrow when they host the Phillies (here’s our handy broadcast schedule, for reference).
Now, to the notes from the past couple of days in camp. A few things came up and we weren’t able to provide daily notes yesterday and Thursday, but this should help catch up a bit. Let’s get to it.
The big story: Boone returns
It’s only been three days since Aaron Boone took a medical leave of absence, yet the Yankees’ skipper is back and working as of this morning. He did return to the Yankees’ spring training complex yesterday for COVID-19 intake testing, and apparently, was given the all systems go today. Brian Cashman had previously noted that Boone could return within 48-72 hours of his surgery on Wednesday, so this quick return isn’t a total surprise.
Boone was in Tampa this morning to watch Gerrit Cole and Justin Wilson throw simulated games. He also told the media that he will manage the team’s game in Bradenton vs. the Pirates this afternoon (Bryan Hoch). That’s if the rain holds up, of course. The game is currently delayed.
Getting the feeling Aaron Boone might not get to make his managerial return today. pic.twitter.com/fTRAUCwPwh
More notes on today’s game after the jump. But first, I just want to say that it’s good to see Boone back and feeling great already. It’s impressive, really. He told the press that he already feels better post-surgery than he did in the months leading up to it (Lindsey Adler). He’s also looking forward to rebuilding his Peloton ranking (ibid). Sheesh. Professional athletes (including former, in Boone’s case) are something else, huh?
The Yankees and Blue Jays are currently underway in Tampa, but unfortunately, the game is nowhere to be seen. The next game on MLB.tv is tomorrow though, and the team returns to YES on Friday. In case you missed it earlier, we have the spring training TV and radio broadcast schedule here for your convenience. I’ll touch on the progress from tonight’s game in a bit, but first, there’s more important news to address.
The big story: Boone’s surgery goes as expected
We found out earlier today that Aaron Boone needed a pacemaker, and as scheduled, he underwent surgery to insert one. The surgery went as expected and he’s currently in recovery, per the Yankees. That’s very good to hear. We all wish him the best as he rests up and recovers.
In between the initial announcement and the surgery, Brian Cashman spoke to the media to address the situation.
Carlos Mendoza will take over as the #Yankees’ interim manager. Brian Cashman said that Aaron Boone could return in as little as 48-72 hours.
Boone noted in his statement earlier that he expected his leave to be short-term, but I don’t think I anticipated him coming back in as few two or three days. Good for him if he feels up for that, but no one should blame him for needing extra time. It’s the spring training, and the early stages of camp at that, after all. There’s plenty of time to get back to full strength and return to the helm. For the time being, bench coach Carlos Mendoza will handle Boone’s duties.
