When Joe Torre arrived as a visitor at spring coaching in 2024, Aaron Boone remembered his fellow Yankees supervisor being reluctant to place a uniform on.
That didn’t final lengthy, although, as Boone proudly made that occur only a few hours into Torre’s arrival. A couple of days later, Torre made a mound go to, pulling Carlos Rodón as followers at George M. Steinbrenner Discipline applauded.
“I think he loved it, and I know our guys love being around him,” Boone mentioned Tuesday earlier than the Yankees performed the Angels.
This yr, Torre returned to camp with none of the reservations. With the 84-year-old having fun with himself, a thought crossed Boone’s thoughts on the finish of spring coaching: wouldn’t it’s cool if Torre joined the Yankees’ teaching workers on the All-Star Recreation in Atlanta on July 15?
On Tuesday, Main League Baseball formally introduced that that may occur. With pennant-winning staffs at all times tasked with teaching the next yr’s Midsummer Traditional, Boone additionally invited Guardians supervisor Stephen Vogt, whose membership fell to the Yankees within the ALCS earlier than Dave Roberts’ Dodgers gained all of it.
Boone mentioned that he initially requested MLB for permission to have Torre attend as an honorary coach in uniform. The league naturally beloved the concept, so Boone introduced it to Torre.
“I said, ‘You don’t have to answer this right now. Just hear me out,’” Boone recalled. “After which I requested him would he think about coming. And immediately, he was like, ‘Yes!’ and appeared actually enthusiastic about it. He appeared moved by it, which couldn’t have gone higher in my eyes. So I’m excited to have the skipper with us.
“Hopefully the rest of the American League team, I know, will love having him there too.”
A Corridor of Fame supervisor, Torre at present works for MLB as a particular assistant to the commissioner. He managed 29 seasons within the majors and ranks fifth all-time with 2,326 wins. He led the Yankees to 4 World Sequence championships, six pennants and 12 postseason appearances in his 12 years as supervisor from 1996-2007. He’s second on the workforce’s all-time managerial wins listing.
Torre additionally managed the Mets, Braves and Cardinals earlier than touchdown within the Bronx, and he completed his managerial profession with the Dodgers from 2008-2010. A catcher and nook infielder from 1960-1977, Torre additionally performed for the Braves, Cardinals and Mets. He gained an MVP Award with St. Louis in 1971.
Whereas discussing his determination to ask Torre, Boone famous his predecessor’s ties to Atlanta. Boone, seventh on the Yankees’ all-time wins listing, additionally talked about how form Torre has been to him over time.
“He gives me my space, but he’s always kind of aware a little bit of what’s going on within the team,” Boone mentioned. “And so it’s just that sage experience and wisdom that he’ll pass along to me, just quietly. I don’t know if there’s necessarily one thing that stands out, but he’s always just really gracious and empathetic of the chair.”
Boone can be excited to soak up the All-Star ambiance along with his precise coaches and what’s certain to be just a few Yankees gamers.
He solely went to at least one All-Star Recreation as a participant, and an excellent chunk of his coaches by no means even performed within the majors. The possibility to be amongst the very best of the very best ought to make for a memorable and prolonged journey, because the Yankees will start the second half in Atlanta.
“I’m really excited about it,” Boone mentioned. “Clearly, the All-Star break’s a time the place quite a lot of us coaches, managers, gamers, you stay up for these few days off. I’m thrilled to be going, and I do know our workers is just too. Lots of these guys, in quite a lot of methods, it’ll be the expertise of a lifetime to get to be in an All -Star Recreation across the biggest on the planet to do it.
“You’re always in that kind of competition mode with other clubs and other teams and players and staffs. To get to share the same uniform with guys you compete against all the time is a little pause in things and something that I know I’m going to cherish, and I’m sure most of our staff will.”
