Yankees' Aaron Boone on Carlos Mendoza firing: 'He's a really good manager that will get another opportunity'

· Yahoo Sports

The Mets' firing of Carlos Mendoza reverberated through the baseball world on Friday and reached Yankees manager Aaron Boone.

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Mendoza, of course, was Boone's bench coach with the Yankees for four seasons before he was hired by the Mets in late 2023. The Yankees skipper was asked about Mendoza's firing ahead of the second game of New York's four-game set with the Red Sox.

"Surprised, I guess, but not surprised," Boone said about how he felt when he found out about Mendoza. "I talked to Mendy. Obviously, it’s a tough situation over there right now with what they’ve been going through this year and going back to last year.

"Mendy is in a good place. He’s really good at what he does. He’s a great leader that as time goes on, my expectation is that he’ll be in line for another job in a lot of different way, shape and form. And has earned a strong reputation in the industry, even through all this, it solidified that reputation."

Relieving Mendoza came after the Mets lost their sixth straight game on Thursday, dropping the team's record to 34-47. But the Mets' struggles date back to last season when their year took a tailspin in the second half of the season, resulting in an 83-win season and missing the playoffs. 

Mendoza's managerial career started off great as the 2024 Mets went 89-73 and made it to the NLCS. Mendoza finished with a 206-199 record.

Boone was asked whether he was surprised by the timing of Mendoza's firing, and the longtime Yankees manager said he was and wasn't. 

"It’s always surprising. Can I say that I’m really surprised this happened with what they’ve been through? No, not necessarily," Boone explained. "But still, when you hear the news, it catches you. He’s a great baseball man. He’s a really good leader and I think he’s a really good manager that will get another opportunity."

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