'All good' for Boone, Chappy after tough 9th

NEW YORK -- Aroldis Chapman was steamed; it was perhaps his angriest display in a Yankees uniform to date.

Having issued a bases-loaded walk and a check-swing hit that flushed a lead in the ninth inning of the Yankees’ eventual 6-5 victory over the Royals on Wednesday evening, Chapman stomped off the field and whipped his glove through the dugout before disappearing down the runway that leads to the clubhouse.

Chapman was irked that he had not been permitted to pitch to Carlos Santana, despite a mound meeting in which manager Aaron Boone had seemingly agreed to his closer's desire to pitch carefully to the slugger. Upon returning to the dugout, Boone changed his mind, signaling for an intentional walk so Chapman would face rookie Sebastian Rivero with the bases loaded.

“He and I talked at length [on Wednesday] night. All good,” Boone said before Thursday's series finale. “He was upset, understandably so. He wanted to pitch to Santana. In hindsight, and not just because it didn’t work out, I think the right move was probably to go ahead and let [Chapman] pitch to him. I just didn’t want to let [Santana] beat us in that spot or get too careful pitching around, leading to a wild pitch or something.”

Boone said that during the mound conversation, Chapman and catcher Gary Sánchez had been briefed on the attack plans for Santana. Between the mound and the dugout, Boone reversed course, which could have contributed to Chapman’s anger. Chapman walked Rivero on four pitches; the fourth wasn't close to the strike zone.

“It was more, ‘All right, we’re going to go after him, but pitch carefully,’” Boone said. “When I got back to the bench and just kind of looked out there, that’s why there was a little bit of a pause. I just felt like I wanted to take our shot the other way. It was my call in the moment, and I think that led to some of the frustration. But Chappy and I absolutely talked about it, and we’re good.”

Boone keeps an open-door policy with his players to discuss any in-game decisions.

“We’re playing for a lot. These guys care,” he said. “Sometimes you’re going to get upset. That’s part of playing the high-stakes game of Major League Baseball.”

Home-field advantage

Sánchez was showered with cheers after his home run in the ninth inning on Wednesday, his seventh homer in his last 22 games. Sánchez has batted .333/.410/.725 with 15 RBIs over that span, turning around a sluggish start to the season that saw him sharing playing time behind the plate with backup Kyle Higashioka.

"It feels great to hear the fans show their support,” Sánchez said through an interpreter. “It definitely feels really good to hear that from them. I've got to say, I wish that sometimes when I'm struggling, I'd hear the same kind of support from them. But they're New York fans, and they're tough. But it’s much appreciated.”

Boone admires how Sánchez has handled various challenges over the past 12 months, including the personal catcher situation with ace right-hander Gerrit Cole and losing playing time down the stretch into last year’s postseason.

“Gary has been through so much at this level,” Boone said. “He’s experienced the ups and downs, tremendous expectations, being this lightning rod. I’m so proud of what he’s done the last four to six weeks. … He was a great teammate. He worked. He made adjustments, and it didn’t change the person and character who he was. His character shone through to me. I love the fact that he’s playing the way he’s playing.”

This date in Yankees history

June 24, 1970: Bobby Murcer homered in four consecutive at-bats during a doubleheader against the Indians, tying a franchise record shared by Lou Gehrig, Johnny Blanchard and Mickey Mantle. Murcer homered in the ninth inning of Game 1, then in his first three at-bats of Game 2.