Aaron Boone has been to the World Series once before, after he sent the Yankees and Joe Torre there in 2003 with his famous homer off Boston’s Tim Wakefield in the ALCS.
More than two decades later, Boone still leans on his former manager as he navigates the playoffs — and Boone said Monday he’d continue to do so as the Yankees prepare for their first Fall Classic in 15 years.
Asked on Monday what message he passes along to his former player in the postseason, Torre kept it simple.
“I remind managers who they are and how to use their experience in the game,” Torre said by phone. “I know we get into all the analytics and information — especially this time of year — but I tell them not to give up on their instincts. That’s what got them here. You never want to not use that.”
And that’s especially true with Boone, Torre added, which is something he wants him to keep as the pressure of the World Series builds.
“He’s third-generation in the majors, with his father [Bob] and grandfather [Ray],” said Torre, who managed both the Yankees and Dodgers and is planning on attending every game of the World Series, starting Friday at Dodger Stadium.
“There’s nothing Aaron hasn’t seen,” Torre said. “But there is a difference in the World Series and the playoffs: You go from a marathon to a sprint. He knows how to do that.”
Boone, though, has never had to deal with the pressure cooker of managing in the World Series in The Bronx.
And after Boone’s ALCS homer in ’03, the Yankees lost to the Marlins, so Boone is also looking for his first World Series ring.
“You have to manage the game and not be overwhelmed by everything that’s going on,” Torre said. “If you let that happen, it becomes stressful.”
Torre was in his first year managing the Yankees when he took them to the World Series in 1996 — their first since 1981 — and they dropped the first two games to Atlanta before winning the next four.
“At the time, I was just thrilled to be in the World Series,” Torre said of ’96. “I had never been in one, either as a player or manager. So I was just excited to be there. You don’t even think about winning it at first. But once it starts, you’re conditioned to do the best you can.”
And he understands better than most that simply reaching the World Series is never enough in The Bronx.
“It’s the necessity to win,” Torre said of the attitude that’s been around since he worked for George Steinbrenner. “It’s not about doing a good job to get there. You’re supposed to win, no matter what. When you work there, the expectations and pressure is high. But you know that going in, as I did with George, the challenge. It doesn’t matter who you’re playing.”
And since Boone has October experience both as a player and now as a veteran manager, Torre said he’s better positioned than some other managers who may not have that résumé.
The two have remained close and Boone invited Torre to spring training this season, with Torre attending camp in Tampa for a few days.
“No one has been around the game longer,” Torre said. “And I’ll always pull for him, since he played for me, so I’m having fun watching it. He’s done a great job. I’ve always felt that way. To come in cold, never having managed before, and then being dropped into the Yankee situation. It’s far from a piece of cake and he’s gotten them this far.”