Yankees’ Boone and Mets’ Mendoza will face off in the Subway Series

Aaron Boone knew from his first meeting with Carlos Mendoza that he had what it takes to be an MLB manager.

This conversation took place at the 2017 Winter Meetings in Orlando. Boone had just been hired as the Yankees’ manager, and Mendoza, a longtime Yankees minor league coach, was one of the first people he met.

“We hit it off right away,” Boone recalled Tuesday at Citi Field. “From a very early age, I had enormous respect for him as a baseball guy and as a person.”

Boone’s thoughts came hours before his Yankees began a two-game Subway Series against the Mets, who hired Mendoza as manager in the offseason.

Mendoza, 44, worked for the Yankees for 15 years, including the last six as an MLB coach on Boone’s staff. He served as quality control coach and infield coach in Boone’s first two seasons in 2018-19 and then as bench coach from 2020-23.

“When I benched him, part of me thought we were going to lose him as a coach,” Boone said. “I didn’t want to lose him. He’s a great coach, now manager. A great person and someone I have tremendous respect for.”

The Mets entered their first Subway Series with Mendoza as manager with a record of 37-39 and 13 wins in 17 games.

Before Tuesday’s game, Mendoza thanked his time with the Yankees for preparing him for the role of manager and praised Boone as a “great human being.”

“He cares about people and is very reliable. He is consistent. It doesn’t matter how well the team plays or how tough it is sometimes,” Mendoza said.

“He’s the same person, and you appreciate that, especially when it’s tough. Your leader will come in with the same attitude, and he won’t go through the rollercoaster ride whether you’re playing well or not. That’s what I learned from him.”