Aaron Boone, hero of 2003 ALCS, will be next manager of Yankees

Aaron Bleepin’ Boone it is.

The Yankees have chosen Boone to replace Joe Girardi as manager, the News first reported.

Boone, 44, who catapulted the Bombers to the World Series in 2003 with his iconic walk-off homer in Game 7 of the ALCS against the Red Sox, is said to have been the most polished candidate of the group.

Brian Cashman had been intrigued by Boone, who was serving as a baseball television analyst at ESPN. He has no previous managerial or coaching experience, but clearly impressed team brass during his interview.

Cashman recommended Boone to Hal Steinbrenner, picking him from a pool of six candidates that included Carlos Beltran, Hensley Meulens, Rob Thomson, Chris Woodward and Eric Wedge — all of whom interviewed for the job.

On Friday, after Cashman said he was finished interviewing candidates and was ready to make a recommendation to ownership, the News reported that it would come down to Boone and Meulens.

Aaron Boone will be the next manager of the Bronx Bombers. Here, Boone watches his game-winning home run during the 11th inning of Game 7 of the ALCS in 2003.
(CHARLES KRUPA/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Beltran and Thomson were both informed that they were not getting the job. Thomson will join the Phillies as bench coach under Gabe Kapler. Meulens, recently promoted to Giants bench coach from hitting coach, will stay in San Francisco, where it’s believed he’s being groomed as Bruce Bochy’s successor once the three-time World Series winning skipper decides to call it quits. Meulens was intriguing because of his Yankee ties and ability to speak five languages.

The selection of Boone — who was watching his alma mater USC beat Stanford Friday night — ends a search process that took more than a month. It included a large list of candidates, which was ultimately pared down to six who sat in front of team executives Cashman, Jean Afterman, Tim Naehring, Mike Fishman and Dan Giese at Yankee Stadium.

The Bombers were interested in Raul Ibanez, but he preferred to stay in the Dodgers’ front office and be with his family. The Yankees also reached out to the A’s about manager Bob Melvin, but their inquiry was rebuffed.

Girardi was ousted despite leading the Bombers to within one win of a berth in the World Series last season.

Cashman wanted a replacement who was a strong communicator who could be open-minded to new ideas — including analytics and performance science. He knew he wouldn’t be able to find someone who checks all the boxes, but Boone is an engaging personality with a high baseball IQ who has embraced analytics.

Back page of the New York Daily News for December 2, 2017
(New York Daily News)

Still, it is a gamble for Cashman and Co. as Boone has never taken on this type of endeavor before. Granted, during his teleconference with reporters following his interview, he said, “I would say in a way I’ve been preparing for this job for the last 44 years.”

Boone comes from a baseball family. His father, Bob, was an MLB catcher and manager. His older brother, Bret, was an All-Star second baseman. And his grandfather Ray Boone was a two-time all-star in the 50s.

When reached by the Daily News about whether or not he would be working alongside his younger brother, Bret Boone left the door open.

“We’ll have to see,” Bret wrote in a text.

Aaron Boone played 12 seasons in the majors. His career highlight, of course, came after he was traded to the Yankees in 2003: his homer off Tim Wakefield in the 11th inning of Game 7 at Yankee Stadium that gave the Bombers the 2003 AL pennant and extended the “Curse of the Bambino.” The blast led to Boone being called Aaron ‘F---ing’ Boone in Boston.

Aaron Boone celebrates his game-winning home run off Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield.

But Boone’s career lowlight came just a few months later in January of 2004 when he tore ligaments in his knee playing a pickup basketball game in the offseason. The hoop game was a violation of his contract and led to his release, paving the way for the shocking trade that brought Alex Rodriguez to the Bronx to play third base. The Bombers did appreciate that Boone was honest about the injury.

The pressure is going to be high for the new skipper, replacing someone like Girardi and inheriting a win-now roster full of young stars like Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez and Luis Severino.

There is also the possibility the Yankees add 23-year-old, two-way star Shohei Otani, considered the “Babe Ruth of Japan,” to that mix as well.

Next up for Boone will be finalizing his contract and finishing off his coaching staff, which will include pitching coach Larry Rothschild. Wedge, perhaps, could be a possibility as bench coach given his previous managerial experience. Boone played for Wedge in Cleveland in 2005-06.

Aaron Boone has succeeded in the Big Apple on the field. Now, he’ll try to do so from the dugout.