ESPN’s Aaron Boone has been named the manager of the New York Yankees. In a statement ESPN said, “Aaron has been a tremendous analyst and a colleague. We wish him all the best as he starts a new chapter in his baseball journey.”
On January 13, 2016, ESPN named Aaron Boone a Sunday Night Baseball analyst. Previously he has worked on Monday Night Baseball with frequent appearances on Baseball Tonight and other studio programming. Boone also provides commentary for MLB postseason and World Series games on ESPN Radio. He joined ESPN in 2010 after his retirement from professional baseball.
Boone played for six Major League franchises over 12 seasons including stops in Cincinnati (1997-2003), New York Yankees (2003), Cleveland (2005-2006), Florida (2007), Washington (2008) and Houston (2009).
In 2003, Boone earned his first and only All-Star appearance before being traded from the Cincinnati Reds to the Yankees. Later that year, he famously hit a dramatic, series-clinching home run in the bottom of the 11th inning of Game 7 of the ALCS, giving the Yankees a 6-5 victory over their rival, Boston Red Sox.
Boone, as a member of the Houston Astros in 2009, is believed to be the first player to return to the Major Leagues after open-heart surgery. He underwent the procedure in March 2009 and returned to the field in September – six months after the successful operation.
The Boone family has produced three generations of Major League talent – former All-Star third baseman Ray Boone (Aaron’s grandfather), former All-Star catcher, manager and baseball executive Bob Boone (Aaron’s father) and retired All-Star second baseman Bret Boone (Aaron’s brother).