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During Aaron Boone’s first seasons as Yankees manager, he relied on several skippers who had more experience — both current and former.
Among the people he talked to who previously held the job was Buck Showalter, who will now be managing across town after being introduced as Mets manager on Tuesday.
Boone called the move “a great hire.”
“Buck is definitely one of the guys I have a strong relationship with,” Boone said by phone Tuesday. “We’ve always had a good relationship. I never played for him, but we worked at ESPN together and I covered him a bit and managed against him when he was in Baltimore.”
The reason Boone reached out to Showalter was simple: “I just liked talking the game with him. He’s got so much respect around the game and I have such respect for him.”
Boone is confident Showalter — who managed the Yankees from 1992 until 1995 — will have success with the Mets.
“He’s got a ton of experience and dealt with every type of situation,” Boone said.
The Yankees manager is among the chorus who believes the 65-year-old Showalter will be able to adapt to how the game has changed even since he left the Orioles in 2018, with the increased use of analytics and technology.
“Absolutely,” Boone said of Showalter, who most recently served as an analyst for the MLB and YES networks. “You don’t go to all the different places and situations he’s been to and won in unless you’re knowledgeable, capable and willing to evolve.”
Boone signed a new three-year deal, with an option for a fourth year, following the season to stay in The Bronx.
Showalter was among the names mentioned as a possible replacement if Boone wasn’t retained, but the Yankees brought Boone back after a rocky 2021 season that ended with a fourth straight postseason appearance — which ended with a wild-card loss in Boston.
Now, he’ll get a chance to face Showalter again.
“It’s always fun to go up against guys like that,” Boone said. “I look forward to seeing him again in the dugout.”
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