Giancarlo Stanton is back in the lineup, trying to find his timing after returning from injury. He steps in and starts seeing some borderline pitches, with the umpire calling low strikes that frustrate both Stanton and the Yankees dugout. Zeke, the opposing pitcher, keeps targeting that low outside corner. Stanton lays off a few, but the ump keeps ringing him up. Boone is already frustrated early in the first inning and starts chirping about the strike zone.
Things escalate fast. Boone gets ejected after arguing with home plate umpire Joe West, who had a rough night behind the plate in the Yankees’ previous game. Boone brings up bad calls from the ninth inning the day before, pointing out a missed strike on Brett Gardner that cost them. Out comes the hitting coach, who also starts yelling and quickly gets tossed. The whole dugout is heated, shouting about inconsistent zones and missed calls. Joe West doesn’t back down. The situation puts the Yankees in a bad spot, with calls going against them and tensions high from the start.