SEATTLE — Yankees manager Aaron Boone was a big Pete Rose fan as a kid. When the Phillies won the World Series in 1980, Rose was their first baseman, Bob Boone was the catcher and their kids played together. Aaron Boone and his big brother Bret were around Rose a lot. They looked up to Rose.

For Aaron Boone, it was personal. He grew up around Pete Rose; he wasn’t just baseball’s Hit King, he was his father’s teammate and friend. So the news of MLB commissioner Rob Manfred’s controversial decision to lift Pete Rose’s lifetime ban this week wasn’t just a big moment for baseball—it was personal for Yankees manager Aaron Boone.