Yankees' Aaron Boone torches umpire Laz Diaz, earns ejection by mocking strike call

It was almost heartwarming to watch Yankees manager Aaron Boone stride to the plate to mess with umpire Laz Diaz after he'd rung up shortstop Anthony Volpe on an outside pitch. Watching someone get to do one of their favorite activities again, for possibly the final time? I don't care who you are, that brings a tear to your eye.

Boone might not be long for this job, and the Yankees certainly might not be long for the playoff race, so the ol' savage took his favorite page out of his personal playbook yet again as a last-gasp effort to get the Yanks bats reengaged on Monday night in Chicago.

At the very least, he'd embarrass Diaz in the process, which could also be nice in the grand scheme of things.

All game long, for both teams, Diaz has called the outside corner like his personal playground, extending six inches off the dish for any hurler of any pedigree. Gerrit Cole and Dylan Cease? Sure. Someone named Lane Ramsey who can't buy a strike, unless Diaz is giving him one for free? Just great.

Diaz was certainly consistent. Unfortunately, he was consistently terrible, which should not be rewarded by a tired aphorism. After a rather pedestrian Volpe strikeout (might've been a strike, actually), Boone unloaded, his outburst highlighted by this moment of wandering to the plate, drawing a line in the sand where Diaz believed the corner to be, then mocking the ump's signature strike call.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone tries one last time to fire up team by screaming at, imitating umpire Laz Diaz

Ah! Reminds you of Diaz's greatest hits of 2023, like his performance behind the plate on Opening Day during Yankees-Giants. Almost like we should've known this was gonna be a funky season from the jump considering how prominently he was involved.

The Yankees have only themselves to blame for this one, loading the bases three separate times -- twice with nobody out -- and scoring only a single run on a sacrifice fly.

But just because Diaz is a scapegoat doesn't mean he wasn't horrendous! And, again, it was nice to see Boone do his thing from 2019. Like seeing the Stones live on the farewell tour that never ends.