TAMPA – Steinbrenner Field was quiet again on Saturday, with the Yankees training in an empty stadium, something that players got used to a year ago.
So, when fans can enter the Grapefruit League debut on Sunday against the Blue Jays, the people in attendance won’t be the only ones to be grateful.
“It’s very welcome,” said DJ LeMahieu of the fans’ return. “I’m very excited to bring some people back and, hopefully, more as the season progresses. It will be good to play for the fans again, for sure ”.
The last time the Yankees were able to do this was in March, before the end of spring training because of COVID-19. While some teams allowed fans in the stands and people were present for the NLCS and World Series in Houston, the Yankees did not play before anything.
“For me, it’s just Major League Baseball, with fans, ” LeMahieu said on Saturday. “Last year, I was happy that we played and managed to get into as many games as we could and I thought the playoffs were cool, [but] you just lose the emotion. You can definitely tell how excited people are to go to baseball games. “
The expected 2,400 or more – 25% of capacity – will see the Yankees team eyeing another race in October. This journey begins on Sunday, with right-handed Mike King on the mound.
“I’m excited to start building, from a game point of view, towards the regular season, ” said coach Aaron Boone after the Yankees’ final training ahead of the exhibition season.
Although he is on the bench, Boone also said that the presence of fans would make an impact.
“Watch other events during the off season, college football [and] NFL games, where fans were present in a limited capacity, change the look – even watching on TV, ” said Boone.
Boone said that sometimes he got so caught up in the games that he didn’t think about the strange atmosphere, but there was one notable exception.
“The first time we played against the Red Sox was the first time that I really realized that,” said Boone.
The coach added that he will 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 have been working on the team’s minor league complex with the other pitchers and receivers, while the position players were at Steinbrenner.
As spring progresses, Boone wants to make sure that the whole team is together enough to build the camaraderie he values, which is more difficult to happen because of the pandemic.
“Driving back and forth [between sites]trying to find that balance, I have to be a little bit more strategic about how I do it, ” said Boone. “I really value our team being together.”
And the process of trying to return to some form of normalcy continues on Sunday.
Earlier this week, Giancarlo Stanton welcomed the idea of eliminating the noise-filled stadiums from fans used a year ago, which some players found disturbing.
Luke Voit noted that it felt like “five years” since the team played in front of a crowd.
Even LeMahieu, who had another excellent season with the Yankees, said his game was hampered by the void in the parks around the league.
“The adrenaline just wasn’t there as much as a player,” said LeMahieu. “When you stretch [on the field] before a game, you start to flow, normally. There was no one out there, so we had to dig deep. … Having fans, at least some, is good for the game. ”