Boone returns to USC for chat with football team

LOS ANGELES – Aaron Boone rarely passes up an opportunity to return to the University of Southern California campus, so when the Yankees manager received an offer to speak to the Trojans' football team, it represented arguably his easiest call of the weekend.

At the invitation of USC head coach Clay Helton, Boone spoke to the team for about an hour on Saturday morning before reporting to Dodger Stadium. Yankees third-base coach Phil Nevin and director of mental conditioning Chad Bohling accompanied the skipper on his trip back to school.

"Fight on, baby," Boone said, summarizing his remarks. "Just the opportunity that they have in front of them, but also the opportunity that they have going to a great university."

Boone played three seasons in cardinal and gold from 1992-94, prior to the communications major being selected by the Reds in the third round of the ‘94 MLB Draft.

He traces his fandom for USC football to the mid-to-late 1980s -- when future NFL standout Rodney Peete played quarterback for the Trojans -- then grew more attached to the school when his older brother Bret attended.

In December 2017, Boone was in the stands watching his beloved Trojans take on Stanford in the Pac-12 Championship Game when news broke that he had been hired as the Yankees' next manager.

"Those of you that know me know how important that place is to me and how closely I follow them," Boone said. "For Coach Helton to invite me over and to get the opportunity to sit in a couple of their meetings this morning was a lot of fun."

Penned in

The Yankees plugged a fresh arm into their bullpen prior to Saturday's 2-1 loss to the Dodgers, adding right-hander Cory Gearrin, who was claimed on waivers from the Mariners and added to the 40-man roster one day prior.

In a corresponding move, right-hander Jonathan Loáisiga was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Gearrin, 33, appeared in 48 games (two starts) with Seattle this season, logging a 3.92 ERA in 41 1/3 innings (18 earned runs).

Boone said that Gearrin has proved to be tough on right-handed batters, which could help him fit into the middle-inning mix. This year, right-handed batters have hit .227 (22-for-97) off Gearrin; lefties have hit .281 (16-for-57). In Saturday's loss, Gearrin replaced starter CC Sabathia in the fifth inning and retired A.J. Pollock and Justin Turner before allowing a single to Will Smith (all righties). Chad Green then took over to face Cody Bellinger (a left-handed hitter).

The Yankees have been stockpiling relievers this month, signing Trevor Rosenthal and David Hernandez to Minor League deals while claiming Ryan Dull from the waiver wire.

Look out!

One day later, the Yankees were still laughing about Nevin's reaction, having been spilled to the turf near the third-base coaches' box by a hard-hit Gary Sánchez foul ball in the eighth inning of Friday's 10-2 Bombers victory.

"He reacted perfectly. He kind of rolled with it," Boone said. "It was like a stuntman. He fell with it to soften the blow, got his hands in the right spot to protect himself. Good spill. I thought it was textbook, I really did. That footage will live for a long time; we'll get a lot of mileage out of it."

Comeback trail

Edwin Encarnación (fractured right wrist) took ground balls, played catch and threw on Saturday, according to Boone. Encarnacion has also resumed hitting soft-toss and tee work as he aims to rejoin the active roster in September.

Luke Voit (sports hernia) is continuing his Minor League rehab assignment with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after going 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored on Friday. Voit is scheduled to serve as the designated hitter and play nine innings on Saturday.

This date in Yankees history

Aug. 24, 1988: The Yankees trailed the A's, 6-2, entering the bottom of the ninth inning. Seven singles and a three-run Ken Phelps homer followed, with Rickey Henderson delivering the game-winning hit, a two-out single that drove home Luis Aguayo in the Yanks' 7-6 win.