Austin Powers Yankees to Victory
On Friday, August 30, 2024, I went to a New York Yankees baseball game which started at 7:05 PM with two of my friends from The Social Club. Baseball is my favorite sport because it is the only team sport (outside of softball) where there is an individual battle within a team game. When the pitcher throws the ball, no one can help them throw. Likewise, when a batter is in the batter’s box, no one can help them swing. This is in contrast to sports such as basketball and football where a player can pass the ball to a teammate.
The Yankees were playing the St. Louis Cardinals. I got there via Metro North train and got off at the Yankees-E 153rd Street Station in the Bronx.
Upon getting out of the train station, I was greeted with this view of Yankee Stadium and Heritage Field (the ballfield on the right where the old Yankee Stadium used to be).
I arrived at Yankee Stadium at 5 PM (when the gates opened) because the Yankees had a free promotion (Aaron Judge football jersey night). The early arrival was necessary as the free item was only given to the first 18,000 fans. For reference, the capacity of Yankee Stadium is 46,537. When I arrived that day, I was met with a very long line to get into the ballpark.
Even when there is not a promotion, the Yankees typically draw large crowds. So, if you ever decide to go to a Yankees game, my advice would be to show up at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the game if you want to get there in time for the first pitch.
After getting through a long line at the entrance, we visited the Yankees Museum.
The museum did a great job illustrating the Yankees long history. One exhibit had signed baseballs from many former Yankee players including Babe Ruth.
Also, on display were the New York Yankees Word Championship trophies (even though the Yankees have won 27 titles, only 7 trophies are on display because trophies were not given away for championships the Yankees won from the 1920s to 1960s).
New York Yankees World Series Trophies
After we visited the museum, we went to our seats where this was our view.
Note that the flags above the roof are the standings of the baseball teams across the major leagues (the American League and the National League). The first place team in the American League East is above and to the right of the yellow right field foul pole and the teams behind them in the standings are to the right. The pattern repeats for each of the 5 other divisions with the flags of the city (or in some cases state) names above the roof.
Below are the flags of the American League East teams. The flags are located between the white flag with a leaf on it to the far left (I think that is the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation flag) and the white flag with the Yankees logo on it to the right. The team flags are as follows (in order from left to right): New York, Baltimore, Boston, Tampa Bay, and Toronto. So on August 30, 2024 (the date of the game), the New York Yankees were in first place, the Baltimore Orioles in second place, the Boston Red Sox in third place, the Tampa Bay Rays in fourth place, and the Toronto Blue Jays in last place.
Here is another view of the field later at night. Note the game was a sellout by the full crowd. The attendance was 47,103 including fans in standing room only.
The Yankees ended up winning the game, beating the St. Louis Cardinals by the score of 6 to 3. During the game, Yankees Catcher Austin Wells powered the Yankees to victory by hitting two (two run) home runs. Immediately after the ball went over the wall for both home runs, a siren noise played as Wells rounded the bases. The siren noise was played to get the crowed excited about the home runs and is played anytime a Yankee player hits a home run. The crowd cheered enthusiastically.
Between innings late in the game, we watched the virtual Great New York Subway Race on the Yankee Stadium Video Board in center field. The Great New York Subway Race is a video that shows three NYC subway lines (4, B, and D) racing each other. These subway lines stop at and go by Yankee Stadium in real life.
The virtual race starts down below the Empire State Building in Manhattan. The three trains then race uptown (north) to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx (the finish line). The 4 train ended up as the winning train at the game we attended. The 4 train is the train I always root for because, by shear coincidence, 4 happens to be the number of former Yankees First Baseman Lou Gehrig. Lou Gehrig is my favorite Yankee player because he played in 2,130 consecutive games from June 1, 1925 to April 30, 1939. This consecutive games streak stood as the record for longest streak in Major League Baseball until Cal Ripken Jr. broke it on September 6, 1995. Lou Gehrig is nicknamed the Iron Horse because of his streak.
Here is a YouTube video of the Great New York Subway Race (this is not the race we watched at Yankee Stadium, just a random race I found on the internet): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFARPB1UhI0 . In this YouTube video, the B train won.
Below is the scorecard that I filled out during the game. The reason I keep score during a game is because it allows me keeps me to keep a greater focus of the action on the field. Broadcasters keep score so they have a record of the action. There is also an official scorer that watches the game in the press box who writes down the plays that occur during the game and makes judgement calls that become part of the official record of the game. For example, if there is a close play at first base, the scorer would rule the batter either got a hit or an error. In other words, the batter either is awarded a hit for arriving safely after running to first base or an error for arriving safely at first base because of a fielding error.
Here are some final notes and recommendations about attending a game at Yankee Stadium. For one, I would recommend bring your own food and drink as the prices inside Yankee Stadium are expensive. Any bottled beverages you bring must be sealed (unopened) and plastic. You can bring any plastic and sealed bottle beverage you would like except for alcohol which is prohibited. You can buy plastic bottled water from street vendors outside the stadium which is cheaper than buying it inside the stadium. You can also bring empty plastic bottles into Yankee Stadium and fill them at water fountains located in the stadium. This is how to get water for free. Glass bottles and cans are not permitted in Yankee Stadium. Here is the full list of what you can and cannot bring into Yankee Stadium: https://www.mlb.com/yankees/ballpark/information/entry
If you do decide to get food inside the Stadium, I would get it before the game starts as the lines to get food are long. Also, when the game is not occurring, music is played quite loud. Therefore, I would recommend bringing earplugs and/or noise cancelling headphones.
