CINCINNATI — It took until his sixth season, but Aaron Boone finally got to come home on Friday for the first time as manager.
Boone, who was drafted by the Reds in 1994 and spent the first 668 games of his big league career in Cincinnati — before he was traded to the Yankees in 2003 — returned to the Queen City with fond memories of his time here.
“It always means so much to me coming back here,” Boone said Friday at Great American Ball Park — a stadium he helped open up in 2003 — before the Yankees’ 6-2 win over the Reds. “I always get emotional coming in. So many different things that ring familiar. Getting on the bus from the hotel today and turning right before we entered into the stadium, just sights that I’ve seen so many times in my life. People that I’ve gotten to see a little bit already, some places I get to go while I’m here.
“This place was a huge part of my life and forever will be in my heart and a special place to me. Every time I get to come here, it means a lot to me.”
But in a cruel twist from the schedule makers, Boone managed games in 27 different MLB stadiums before finally getting to helm the visiting dugout in Cincinnati this weekend.
“Worth the wait,” Boone said. “Worth the wait to come home and see this place.”
Before Friday, Boone had not been back here since 2015, when he worked the All-Star Game and Home Run Derby for ESPN. He was looking forward to having dinner Saturday at one of his favorite steakhouses from when he played here.
Most important, though, was getting what the Yankees ultimately came for: a few more wins to continue their recent surge.
A hangover would seem natural, with the Yankees coming off an intense four-game series with the Blue Jays, but Boone joked that he wouldn’t allow it.
“I’ve hit our guys over the head with how important this place is to me and we need to show well here,” Boone said, with a hint of sarcasm growing in his voice as he continued his answer. “I’ve been laying that groundwork for the last two weeks, telling them what a big deal that I think I am here and we need to perform here. We’re going to be ready to go. I’ve been pulling out all the stops in that regard.”
Boone said he was happy to see his former catcher, Gary Sanchez, back in the big leagues after he was called up by the Mets on Friday.
“He is someone that we all liked personally and for me, someone that I gained a lot of respect for,” Boone said. “He never ran from things, always ready to post, always worked, cared about his team and his teammates. So I think especially when you see guys like that, that you feel like go about it the right way and work hard and face their share of adversity and keep on grinding, I respect that. And that’s something I definitely respected about Gary and I certainly wish him the best.”
DJ LeMahieu and Harrison Bader were out of the lineup for the second time in five days, but Boone said both were fine physically as he managed their workloads.
Tommy Kahnle (biceps tendinitis) came out of his first rehab outing Thursday feeling good and remained on schedule to make another appearance Sunday with Low-A Tampa.
After Friday’s game, the Yankees reinstated Oswald Peraza (ankle) from the injured list and optioned him to Triple-A.