The Yankees had a night game scheduled for Wednesday, so they wouldn’t necessarily have seen manager Aaron Boone until they reported to Steinbrenner Field a little later than usual. When they did, though, they got what many players called a shock: a video message from Boone with the news that he was in the hospital, awaiting surgery to put in a pacemaker, and would be taking an indefinite leave from the team.
“I think it was a shock to most of us, but hopefully this is something they caught at the right time and he’ll be able to continue doing his job to the best of his ability going forward,” Brett Gardner said of the news. “Any time you hear about something like he’s going through, it’s very concerning. He’s had heart issues, and our first thoughts go to his well-being.”
Gardy was one of some players who knew that Boone had previously had open heart surgery back in 2009, but it seems as if no one was aware that the skipper wasn’t feeling well of late.
“A few days ago, we talked in passing; he asked me how I was, and I told him I felt great, and when I asked him, he mentioned he was a little tired,” Gardner said. “Obviously, looking back on it now, that’s something to think about.”
Mike Ford, for instance, hadn’t known about Boone’s previous heart issues, and neither he nor Giancarlo Stanton had he seen anything different from the skipper of late.
“I didn’t know anything so it was kind of a shock,” Ford said. “He’s a tough guy, and we’re all behind him, and hope he’s back kicking here shortly.”
"How he's been acting normally, and how well he has been able to cope with what he's going through, that just shows how strong of a person he is," Giancarlo Stanton added.
According to bench coach Carlos Mendoza, who will pilot the team in Boone’s absence, Aaron was smiling and joking on a Zoom call with coaches Wednesday morning, and he was in good spirits when he sent his message to the team.
And, in a testament to the man Boone is, it seemed his biggest concern was making sure no one worried about him, and everyone back at camp kept moving forward business as usual.
“That’s just who he is. His first concern was making sure we continue to go about our business the right way, and ease our minds about him and this procedure,” Gardner said. “We’re obviously concerned, but it was good to see he was at ease, confident, and in good spirits ahead of such a serious procedure.”
“He didn’t want to show us anything, he just wanted us to not worry about him,” Ford added. “The message to us was just keep working towards our end goal, and he’ll be back soon, but it just puts things into perspective a little – you never know what can happen on any given day.”
And business as usual it shall be.
“Obviously, he’s an incredibly tough guy and a great manager for us,” Ford said. “He wanted to be the one to tell us not to worry about him.
We’re all there supporting him, and the train will keep rolling.”
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