New York Yankees
We head to the Bronx and Yankee Stadium to see the most storied franchise in all of baseball, the New York Yankees, as they face the Tampa Bay Rays.
A long line had already formed at the front of Yankee Stadium when Dad and I arrived on a warm afternoon for Game 9 of our 20-ballpark road trip. It was a Monday night — typically the sleepiest on each week’s schedule — but the Yankees were giving away free hats to the first 18,000 fans, and the promotion was having its desired effect.
About 30 years earlier, Dad and I had seen games during separate trips to the old Yankee Stadium, which served the club from 1923 to 2008. This new ballpark was built a block from the old facility in the Bronx and opened in 2009. Designed by Populous, the king of sports-stadium architecture, the ballpark cost a whopping $2.3 billion.
Dad and I were still stuffed into position in the queue when the gates were scheduled to open. The Yankees certainly have one of the most passionate fan bases in all of sports, averaging more than 40,000 fans per game in 2023, second in Major League Baseball behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. But things were running late, and I began to worry about seeing Monument Park, the famous tribute to the most successful sports franchise in America. The park closes about 45 minutes before each game.
We were finally let in about an hour before game time. I rushed around to the other side of the stadium and found another long line, with an usher announcing that Monument Park was about to close. I nearly gave up there but got in line anyway. My optimism paid off, and I was let in just under the wire.
Located just beyond Yankee Stadium’s center-field wall, Monument Park honors 37 members of the storied franchise with descriptive plaques and 22 retired numbers. There are also six large granite blocks at the center of the display recognizing the biggest legends in Yankees lore: Miller Huggins, Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, and former owner George Steinbrenner.
The Yankees began life as the New York Highlanders in 1903 before changing names in 1913. If you’re any kind of sports fan, you know the rest: 27 World Series titles, more than twice as many as any other franchise in baseball; 13 other World Series appearances as American League champions; 14 different players winning the Most Valuable Player award 23 times; and an endless roster of the game’s giants — Yogi Berra, Casey Stengel, Whitey Ford, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Reggie Jackson, Thurman Munson, Joe Torre, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, and so many more.
I doubled back to home plate to get a good shot of the ballpark. As I walked the busy concourse, I traced the history of the Yankees in reverse through photos lining the walkway — each decade telling tales of success on the field and celebrations in the clubhouse.
The new Yankee Stadium was designed to encapsulate and emulate this history. Its limestone and granite façade, the ballpark’s dimensions, and the dignified frieze along the upper deck all recall the feel of the former stadium and spark pride in its memories.
The Yankees offer an outstanding selection of ballpark food items, many from celebrity chefs: burgers from Bobby Flay, spicy chicken from multiple Michelin-star-winner David Chang, fried chicken from Ethiopian-born Marcus Samuelsson, cheesy garlic bread from Food Network star Christian Petroni, and Sumo Dogs from Jeffrey Lunaka, formerly of Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto’s team.
Dad and I both went with the Burnt Ends Sandwiches from Mighty Quinn’s BBQ, and they were truly excellent.
I got back to our seats in the left-field bleachers in time for the start of the ballgame. The Yankees were hosting the Tampa Bay Rays, who were just 1 1/2 games behind the first-place Baltimore Orioles on their way to a berth in the postseason. The Yankees were a few games above .500, which did not cut the mustard in the brutal American League East. Their big-bopping superstar, Aaron Judge, had been out of the lineup for several weeks with a torn ligament in his right big toe and would be playing in just his third game since returning.
The Rays jumped on Yankees starter Jhony Brito right out of the gate. First baseman Yandy Diaz led off with a single. Two batters later, Brandon Lowe homered to right-center field, and the Rays were up 2-0.
In the bottom of the first, a handful of Yankees fans in the bleachers began to take out their frustrations — about the game, about the season, about the state of their miserable lives — on Rays left-fielder Randy Arozarena. One guy in particular could not stop shouting obscenities at the 2021 Rookie of the Year who had made his first All-Star appearance earlier in the month. Arozarena engaged a bit with the fan but generally seemed bored with his act.
A few minutes later, a group of uniformed police officers came down and detained a different fan in the same area. I walked up to the concourse and found about eight officers and the Yankees head of security making it exceptionally clear what they considered to be unacceptable behavior. OK, I thought, now I can say I’ve been to a Yankees game.
The home crowd got a lift in the bottom of the second when first baseman Jake Bauers lifted an 0-2 pitch off Rays starter Tyler Glasnow over the center field wall to put New York on the board.
Unfortunately, Brito — a 25-year-old right-hander from the Dominican Republic pitching in his first Major League season — could not stop giving up home runs to the Rays offense. Shortstop Wander Franco hit a solo shot to right in the third inning, and Isaac Paredes and Josh Lowe hit back-to-back blasts in the fourth to make it 4-1 Rays.
I circled around near the home plate area to check out the Yankees team store, representing perhaps the most iconic sports brand in the world. Even today, as teams are testing out alternate jerseys to enliven their merchandise sales, the Yankees play it straight, with the same midnight navy blue cap, the same pinstripes, and the same gray away uniforms they have worn for more than a century. It’s hard to argue with success: The Yankees are estimated to be worth $7.1 billion, second only in America to the Dallas Cowboys.
Glasnow, a 6-foot-8 right-hander in his eighth Major League season, dispatched the Yankees lineup with little trouble, giving up just three hits in his seven-inning start. He struck out Judge in the first inning but pitched around him after the Rays extended their lead. The power-hitting center of the Yankees lineup was walked in his final three at-bats, prompting lusty boos from the crowd each time.
The Rays were in cruise control. Over the final six innings, the Tampa Bay pitching staff allowed just one runner on base aside from Judge, recording 12 strikeouts and not allowing a walk to any other Yankees batter.
New York starter Domingo German also did well in his only relief appearance of the year, holding the Rays scoreless in the final five innings.
Back at our seats next to the Rays bullpen, we watched a pair of Tampa Bay relievers get some work in the ninth inning. But their services would not be needed. The Yankees went quietly on this night, losing 5-1.
