No place like home
SEEING CREATURES IN THE BLEACHERS WILL MAKE IT FEEL LIKE BASEBALL ONCE AGAIN
In exclusive columns, Dom Smith and Brett Gardner express what it will mean to have fans back at the ballpark this season.
WELCOME back. As tough as it was for fans not to be able to come to our games last year, it was tough for us to go out and play in front of empty stadiums. Not having fans was definitely different and definitely uncomfortable.
We were aware there were plenty of fans at home watching on their phones or TVs or listening on the radio and we still have an audience, but it’s great as a player on the field to hear the fans in the seats and see them and interact with them a little bit. That’s what our game is all about.
There’s been a little different feel to spring training this year, with the limited capacity versus years past, but some fans are definitely better than none. We’ll really enjoy it once the season gets underway, especially at home in The Bronx. I think it’ll be a blast.
When we go out to stretch before a game or when we have a big inning or a pitcher has a big strikeout or there’s a big play on defense, our fans are always behind us and we feel that. We’re obviously all baseball players, but we’re really entertainers, right? We’re looking to give the fans something to get excited about and something to cheer for.
The roll call is something that’s very special and not having it last year was glaring. I’ve been a part of a lot of them in New York — and even sometimes on the road — but at home, the Bleacher
Creatures getting fired up before the first pitch of the game was missing. It will be a good feeling to get that back.
And it wasn’t just New York. I remember our first game of the season last year, we opened in Washington and the stadium was empty. It was just a different feel. Even the boos — not just the cheers — are good. We deserve those from time to time.
Having fans back in the stands was something that helped me make the decision tocomebackforanother year. It’s something I thought about. Last year was tough for a lot of guys for a lot of different reasons. Being able to have fans back this year, even if at the beginning in a limited capacity, I think is a step in the right direction. I know even though all the seats might not be full, our fans will be excited to be back in the Stadium, cheering for us.
I think back to my first game in the majors, which was at the old Stadium against the Rangers in June 2008. I don’t remember a lot about the game and I had put on the pinstripes in spring training, but putting them on in the clubhouse and running on the field with my family there is a special memory. I remember how loud it was. The noise the crowd generates, as players, we feed off that and last year, we missed it.
Opening Day is getting closer and with Gerrit Cole pitching for us, I think that’s something Yankee fans have been waiting to see for a long time. Gerrit did great for us last year, but they’ll be happy to see that ‘45’ on the mound in pinstripes and we’re looking forward to that being the beginning of a special season.
We’ve been working so hard to get back to the World Series. Some of these playoff games the last few years in The Bronx have been great. The games against the Indians, like when Gary Sanchez got that huge homer to right-center in Game 4 of the ALDS in 2017. The Stadium was going crazy and the bleachers just erupted.
We look forward to giving them more of those moments.