The New York Yankees has been a destination for most baseball stars. Whether it’s Derek Jeter or Alex Rodriguez, almost all the modern-day greats played for this franchise. The list also includes the name of current Yankees skipper Aaron Boone, who played for the Yankees for two seasons. Though more than his contribution to the diamond, Boone is famous for an off-field incident that changed the Yankees’ history.
The Book, The Yankees Years talks about the injury incident that revolves around under-fire Aaron Boone and his role in paving the way for Alex Rodriguez’s inclusion into the Yankees squad.
Aaron’s Injury While Pickup Basketball and Alex Rodriguez’s Yankees’ Arrival
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Though the arrival or outgoing of every player is very much planned thought, with Alex Rodriguez, it was an afterthought. It only came after Aaron Boone got injured, and the Yankees had to find a replacement. Given Alex fit in all the boxes, they went for him.
The book, The Yankee Years by Joe Torre and Tom Verducci talks about this incident. Page 252 reads, “Because Aaron Boone’s car was in the repair shop on January 16, 2004, he was unable to get in his daily workout. And because he was unable to get in his daily workout.”
Talking about the injury after Aaron Boone chose to play a pickup basketball game, it reads, “A friend of his in the game, who also had been chasing the ball but who could not stop in time, plowed into him, tearing the ligaments of Boone’s left knee.”
It was an incident that changed the course of Boone at the Yankees at the same time affecting the team. Alex Rodriguez, who was not in the first plans of the Pinstripes, became one of the most crucial players later on. He won the World Series and retired as one of the Yankees and an MLB legend.
Alex Rodriguez Was a Star on the Diamond
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Alex Rodriguez played for over two decades. During this period, he played over 2700 games and scored 2086 runs at an average of 0.285 and 686 home runs.
Notably, half of them came during his time at the Yankees, where he spent more than a decade since signing in 2004.
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The story could have been different only if Aaron Boone did not injure himself just before the start of the season. What do you make of this history-changing story? Let us know in the comments below.
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