Yankees happy to play in front of fans again

TAMPA – Steinbrenner Field was calm again on Saturday as the Yankees practiced batting in an empty baseball field, something players got used to a year ago.

So when fans are allowed to participate in the Grapefruit League opener on Sunday against the Blue Jays, not only those in attendance will be thankful.

“It’s very welcome,” said DJ LeMahieu of the fans’ return. “I’m really excited to bring some people back and hopefully more as the season goes on. It will be good to play in front of the fans again for sure.

The last time the Yankees were able to do this was last March, before spring training was cut short due to COVID-19. While some teams allowed fans to step into the stands and there were people on hand for the NLCS and World Series in Houston, the Yankees hadn’t played first and foremost.

“For me, it’s just Major League Baseball, with fans,” LeMahieu said on Saturday. “Last year I was happy that we played and got to be in as many games as we could and I thought the playoffs were cool, [but] you just miss the excitement. You can certainly tell how enthusiastic people are about going to baseball games. “

The roughly 2,400 who should be allowed in – 25% of their capacity – will see a Yankees team with their eyes on another October race. This trip begins Sunday, with right-hander Mike King on the mound.

“I’m excited to start building, from a game point of view, for the regular season,” said manager Aaron Boone after final Yankees training ahead of show season.

Despite being in the dugout, Boone also said that the presence of the fans will have an impact.

“Watch other events during the offseason, college football [and] NFL games, where fans were there in a limited capacity, change the look and feel – even when watching on TV, ” Boone said.

Boone said there were times when he got so locked into the games that he didn’t think about the weird atmosphere, but there was one notable exception.

“The first time we played the Red Sox was the first time I really noticed it,” said Boone.

The manager added that he would begin the process of trying to bring the team together on Sunday, when catchers Gary Sanchez, Kyle Higashioka and Robinson Chirinos come to Steinbrenner Field for the rest of the spring. They worked at the team’s minor league complex with the other pitchers and receivers, while positional players were at Steinbrenner.

As spring progresses, Boone wants to make sure the entire team is gathered enough to build the camaraderie he values, which is harder to find due to the pandemic.

“Go back and forth [between sites], trying to find that balance, I have to be a little more strategic about how I do this, ” said Boone. “I really appreciate our team being together.”

And the process of attempting to return to some form of normalcy continues on Sunday.

Earlier in the week, Giancarlo Stanton welcomed the idea of ​​eliminating the fan-pumped stadiums used a year ago that some players found distracting.

Luke Voit noted that it was like “five years” since the team played in front of a crowd.

Even LeMahieu, who has had another great season with the Yankees, said his game has been affected by the vacuum in the parks around the league.

“Just the adrenaline wasn’t as great as a player,” said LeMahieu. “When you stretch [on the field] before a game, you get the juice flowing, usually. There was no one there so we had to dig deep. … Having fans, at least some, is good for the game. ”