There were cardboard cutouts in the stands, crowd noise dulling and crashing all five after the Yankees’ 9-3 win over the Mets on Saturday night at Citi Field, the first action for either club since the shutdown. of the pandemic.
It was a preview of what baseball will look like in New York, and in all major leagues, in this strange season.
Aaron Boone called the five ghosts “really weird, really awkward” and said he hadn’t been rehearsed.
And you want to see something different once the games start counting.
“Hopefully, we can get a little creative, especially in the regular season,” Boone said of the celebration. “It’s a big problem when you win a game and I don’t want to lose that.”
The players, for the most part, made the most of the situation, content simply not to face their teammates in games within the squad after three weeks of spring 2.0 training.
“Without fans, it’s remarkable,” said Zack Britton. “I really didn’t think about it too much once the game started.”
Right-hander Mike King started the game for the Yankees and was initially stunned by the images of fans behind the plate.
“The little cardboard cutouts were weird,” said King. “When I first came out onto the mound, I thought, ‘Oh my God.’ But once you face batters, you block everything. You enter the zone with you and the receiver and you are working. You don’t notice it after that.
Despite the change in the environment, Mets rookie manager Luis Rojas said it was “exciting to hit the field.” … I know there was a lot of energy flying throughout the game. “
Rojas noted that “there were definitely some differences.”
One that he noticed was the socially estranged launch change he executed.
But Britton didn’t think any of it affected the product in the field.
“The game itself felt pretty normal,” said the left-hander. “The cuts behind the home plate were a great idea. It breaks just by looking at the seats back there. Pumping into the noise of the crowd, you can’t duplicate a real crowd, but it breaks the silence and makes it easier to go out and get some adrenaline. “
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