Why Yankees' Aaron Boone wanted Joe Torre coaching alongside him again
NEW YORK — Two spring trainings ago, New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone needed to convince legendary manager Joe Torre to wear the pinstripes once more. It had been 17 years since he wore the Yankees' No. 6 jersey.
But a few hours after Torre arrived at George M. Steinbrenner Field as a guest instructor, Boone succeeded in getting Torre back in uniform. A few days later, Torre made a pitching change. Yankees fans were treated to that slow, lumbering walk out to the mound. Torre was showered with a standing ovation.
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'I think he loved it,' Boone said Tuesday, reminiscing about Torre's presence at camp. 'I know our guys love being around him. I think this year he was really looking forward to coming back to spring training. He was in uniform. He's just awesome to be around. What gets me excited is I know he's enjoying it.'
Boone had an idea at the end of spring training this year. With winning the American League pennant, Boone gets to manage the league's All-Star team in Atlanta this year. He invited Cleveland Guardians manager Steven Vogt to coach alongside him, but he also wanted to check to see if Torre would have interest, and if MLB would approve it. Torre has been a special assistant to commissioner Rob Manfred since 2020.
'I actually went to the league and asked, 'Hey, what do you think about Joe coming to the All-Star Game, being in uniform?'' Boone said. 'They of course loved the idea. Then I went to Joe, I went to him and said, 'You don't have to answer this right now. Just hear me out.' I asked him would he consider coming. Right away, he was like, 'Yes.' And he seemed really excited about it. He seemed moved by it, which could not have gone better in my eyes. I'm excited to have the skipper with us.'
Aaron Boone will manage the American League All-Star team and be joined by Joe Torre as an honorary coach pic.twitter.com/I3SPCa3NXp
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) June 17, 2025
Boone and Torre, who managed the Yankees to four World Series titles (1996, 1998-2000), have developed a close relationship since the former took the managerial job in 2018. Boone said Torre has given him lots of advice over the past eight years, and pops into his office at Yankee Stadium occasionally.
Yankees players have also appreciated having Torre around at spring training. Anthony Volpe, who grew up a fan of the team, could not stop smiling when Torre made the pitching change in 2024. At the time, he called it one of the highlights of his baseball career. Rodón, who was taken out of the game by Torre, said he initially was mad that he was getting pulled from his spring training start.
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'I wanted to be like, 'Get out of here,'' Rodon said in 2024, 'but it's Joe Torre.'
Torre will be in uniform next month at the All-Star Game being held in Atlanta, which is also where the Hall of Famer managed from 1982-1984. He also played with the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves from 1960-1968.
Not only does Boone get to take Torre to Atlanta, but his entire Yankees coaching staff will have the opportunity to be in the dugout, too.
'A lot of those guys, in a lot of ways, it will be the experience of a lifetime to get to be in an All-Star Game around the greatest in the world to do it,' Boone said of his assistants. 'You're always in that competition mode against other clubs, teams, players, 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.'
(Photo of Torre and Boone in 2024: New York Yankees / Getty Images)
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