This year, Aaron Boone is managing his first All-Star Game, and he wanted one of his former skippers to help him out.
Boone invited Joe Torre, his former New York Yankees manager, to serve on the American League coaching staff at next month’s All-Star Game in Atlanta, and the playing/coaching legend accepted.
Torre, who will turn 85 on July 18, managed the Yankees to six World Series and four titles between 1996-08, including the 2003 team of which Boone was a member. Boone famously homered off Tim Wakefield in Game 7 of the ALCS to boost New York to the pennant — Torre’s final World Series appearance in his 29-year, Hall of Fame career.
Why Is Joe Torre Going To Coach The American League At The All-Star Game?
Torre has been around professional baseball for six decades and has served as the special assistant to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred since 2020. He has the fifth-most wins in major-league history (2,326) and is a four-time World Series winner.
Yet, part of Torre’s involvement will also be his tie to both the Yankees and Braves, since he played for and managed Atlanta before taking over as Yankees manager in 1996.
Boone has had Torre at the team’s spring training as a special instructor each of the past two springs, and Torre has removed a pitcher from a spring-training game. So it wasn’t that tall of an ask for Boone to query Torre about returning to the dugout the exhibition game at Truist Park on July 15.
“I asked him would he consider coming, and right away, he was like, âYes!â and seemed really excited about it,” Boone said, according to the New York Daily News. “He seemed moved by it, which could not have gone better in my eyes. So Iâm excited to have the skipper with us.”
It won’t just be beneficial for the Yankees, though the AL East leaders should be well represented. But Boone recognized the inevitable excitement for each American League rep to spend time learning from Torre.
“I know our guys love being around him,” Boone said. “Heâs just awesome to be around. ⦠Hopefully the rest of the American League team will love having him there, too.”
Torre came up as a player with the Milwaukee Braves before moving with the team to Atlanta in 1966, then played for the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets. He then managed the Braves, Cardinals, Mets, Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Who Are The Other All-Star Coaches?
Aside from Boone and Torre, Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt will represent the American League. Vogt managed Cleveland to the American League Championship Series in 2024 before the Yankees ousted them in five games.
Dave Roberts of the Dodgers will be the National League manager, since he is of course the skipper for the reigning world champions. Roberts has invited Braves manager Brian Snitker and Clayton McCullough of the Miami Marlins to serve as his right-hand men in Atlanta.
Though many would appreciate a break in the middle of the season, Boone, whose father Bob and grandfather Ray were both All-Stars and MLB managers, is relishing his opportunity to manage the AL.
âIâm really excited about it,â Boone said. âObviously, the All-Star breakâs a time where a lot of us look forward to those few days off. I am thrilled to be going, and I know our staff is too. A lot of those guys, in a lot of ways, itâll be the experience of a lifetime to get to be in an All -Star Game around the greatest in the world to do it.
âYouâre always in that kind of competition mode with other clubs and other teams and players and 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 Iâm going to cherish, and Iâm sure most of our staff will.”
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