The New York Yankees need no extra motivation to perform well against the Tampa Bay Rays, according to a surprisingly hip Aaron Boone.
Aaron Boone started the 2019 season at the helm of the sixth-youngest team in the MLB, with an average age of 28.04, per Sportscasting. Apparently all the time spent with 20-something New York Yankees has rubbed off on the 46-year-old manager.
When ESPN’s Coley Harvey asked Boone if Tuesday’s near brawl could provide impetus for a big game on Wednesday, the second-year skipper responded like he was in the final round of a rap battle:
“I don’t know. Think we’re always pretty lit.”
Did Aaron Boone think the benches-emptying chatter help motivate the Yankees tonight?
“I don’t know. Think we’re always pretty lit.”
— Coley Harvey (@ColeyHarvey) July 17, 2019
Indeed, tempers ran hot on Tuesday night. The AL East-leading Yankees and the second-place Tampa Bay Rays nearly fought after CC Sabathia fanned Avisail Garcia to complete the top of the sixth inning.
The two players engaged in a verbal spat, drawing their teammates onto the field en masse. But the drama ended as quickly as it began, and New York went on to win 8-3.
With the series tied 1-1 and the Rays in town for two more games, Harvey’s query makes perfect sense. The Rays are intent on cutting into the Yankees’ division lead; the Bombers should be rather motivated to completely bury their Florida rivals.
New York holds a six-game lead over Tampa and a 10-game advantage over the third-place Boston Red Sox. Those are nice leads, but they’re hardly comfortable with 69 games to go on the Yanks’ schedule.
Still, New York fans have excellent reasons to be confident.
They’ve got a team stuffed with young studs like Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez. Luis Severino and Dellin Betances could return to action soon. And the list goes on.
Maybe most importantly, though, the team is so full of swagger that even their manager can’t help but drop bars to the media.
[membership level="0"] [/membership]Can't wait to see you rocking this Coley. https://t.co/3aSq2kix0l pic.twitter.com/dMWATZD2Gs
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) July 17, 2019
