What Aaron Boone said about Miguel Cabrera intentional walk

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone explained his decision to intentionally walk Miguel Cabrera, who is still in search of his 3,000th hit.

Aaron Boone became public enemy No. 1 in Detroit on Thursday.

The Yankees manager decided to intentionally walk Miguel Cabrera in the eighth inning, denying the Tigers legend the opportunity to try for his 3,000th career hit.

In response, Tigers fans booed and chanted “Yankees suck!” while Austin Meadows hit a double to drive in the final two runs in the 3-0 Detroit victory.

When it came time for Boone to explain his decision, he had this to say:

“It came down to a baseball call for me there…Tough call but one I had to make,” Boone said per Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic. “I certainly understand (the crowd reaction). You don’t necessarily like being in that position, but that’s part of it.”

There are valid baseball reasons for Boone to have called for the intentional walk. It wasn’t necessarily a petty move. Still, it was always going to elicit anger from fans in Detroit and those around baseball looking forward to a historic moment.

It’s not every day you get to see a player cross the 3,000-hit mark. No one has done it since Albert Pujols in 2018. Boone made certain it wouldn’t be Thursday.

Is it frustrating for the average MLB fan to have build up for a big moment only for it to end with a walk? Sure. Is it Boone’s job to give Cabrera the chance to hit? No. Is it Boone’s job to appease Tigers fans? It’s the opposite actually.

The next time Cabrera is in position to grab that 3,000th hit, Boone won’t be in the opposing dugout. The Yankees are heading home for a date with the Guardians while the Tigers are hosting the Rockies.