New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone is tipping his cap to the Chicago White Sox's Grady Sizemore. Sizemore has a heavy burden on himself, as the interim manager of the struggling White Sox.

“He was a great teammate. I loved him, Played the game hard, really skilled, great athlete,” Boone said, per Scott Merkin of MLB.com. “I know he got back into the game a couple years ago, so I was excited when he did that, wanted to get back in. Excited for him to get that opportunity.”

The White Sox crushed the Yankees, 12-2, on Monday. It was Sizemore's first win as manager. Boone and Sizemore actually played together for the Cleveland Guardians organization nearly 20 years ago. Then the team was known as the Indians.

Sizemore is tasked with trying to salvage a dreadful season in Chicago. The White Sox are 29-91 on the year, heading into Tuesday's games.

The Yankees and White Sox are going in opposite directions

New York Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo (24) reacts in the dug out after scoring against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

New York and Chicago are two teams that have had vastly different stories this campaign. The Yankees stormed out of the gate to begin the season, then weathered some rough waters, before finding victories again. The Yankees have 70 victories on the year, with slugger Aaron Judge having a historic campaign. The team is heading to the American League playoffs, unless the club has a total breakdown.

The White Sox are headed toward their second consecutive 100-loss season. Only two years ago, Chicago went .500. The club fell apart after that, under former manager Pedro Grifol. Chicago underwent a horrendous 21 game losing streak this season, to bring the once proud franchise to new lows. The team has only 11 wins away from the Windy City this year, and is on track to have the worst run differential in franchise history.

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Grifol got his pink slip recently, and Sizemore is now interim manager. It's fair to say Sizemore can win the job if he is able to keep the victories going. There are several other people likely to be considered for the job after the season. Sizemore seems to realize he's playing with house money.

“It was amazing, so much fun,” Sizemore said to reporters after beating the Yankees, per ESPN. “These last few games, I'm just so proud of these guys, the way they played. The energy, just everything, I know I just keep saying the same thing. But I just couldn't be happier for the guys.”

The Yankees and White Sox face off again Tuesday.