Aaron Boone mocking ump, Anthony Volpe clutch HR defined Yankees' statement win in LA

Didn't think the New York Yankees were for real before this weekend? How about a series win against the Dodgers in Los Angeles? Does that tip the scales for you, especially when considering they got blown out in the opener of the three-game set?

New York roared back to steal wins on Saturday and Sunday -- both nationally televised games -- but delivered the ultimate blow in the finale. With Domingo Germán on the mound, Aaron Judge out with an injury, and Willie Calhoun starting in left field, the bullpen and the bottom of the lineup came through with some clutch moments.

But before any runs were scored in this one, manager Aaron Boone nearly saw himself ejected yet again. In the bottom of the sixth inning with one out, Germán very clearly struck out Dodgers rookie James Outman, who couldn't check his swing on strike three.

Well, actually, not according to third base umpire John Tumpane, who said Outman didn't go around despite it nearly being a full swinging attempt. What would've been an out turned into a baserunner after Germán walked Outman, and Boone was furious.

He was mocking Tumpane in the dugout, visibly furious by the missed call. Some might say Boone's overreacted at times this season, but this is legitimately one of the worst missed calls you'll see in any game all year -- perhaps even the last few years!

Somehow this keeps happening to the Yankees, who are plagued by terrible umpiring crews what feels like multiple times per week.

Aaron Boone, Anthony Volpe highlight Yankees' series win against Dodgers

This isn't Boone's first rodeo with Tumpane, either. Back in 2020, he lost it on Tumpane after the ump made one of the worst strike three calls on Aaron Judge you'll ever see. That time, Boone was ejected.

This time, he stuck around to see the highlight of the game. In the top of the ninth with the Yankees clinging to a one-run lead after two RBI groundouts from Kyle Higashioka and Oswaldo Cabrera, Anthony Volpe busted out the wood and clobbered a two-run homer off lefty Caleb Ferguson to give the Yankees crucial insurance runs.

Clay Holmes and Wandy Peralta would finish the job, but Volpe's mammoth blast was the highlight of the night, and a very important moment for the youngster who showed out on ESPN's live broadcast in front of the world despite his recent struggles (he's currently hitting .193 with a .628 OPS).

That'll get people to quickly forget his 0-for-14 stretch right before his fifth-inning single. See that power, folks? There's a reason this kid is regarded as one of the best young talents in the game.

The Yankees, despite dealing with a ton of injuries and one of the hardest schedules in MLB to date, stand at 36-25 at the moment. Though they're six games back of the Rays, the road gets a lot easier as the schedule loosens up and players start returning from the IL.

But the series win in LA should have the rest of the league on notice, because up until Sunday, the Dodgers had the best record in the NL, and the Yankees rebounded from an embarrassing showing on Friday to leave town on top heading into an off day.