New York Yankees Editorial: Notes From the Yankees West Coast Road Trip

For many fans of the New York Yankees the West Coast road trip is a mystery, and perhaps annoying. For me, as a West Coast Yankees fan who lives in Northern California it means that I get to see my favorite team play in person. I have been a Yankees fan since the mid-nineties and have attended every Yankees game at Oakland since 1996.  I just returned from the four-game series in O.co stadium in  Oakland,CA in which the Yankees lost three-of-four. Here are my notes on this four game series.

Yankee Fans on the Road

If you have never gone to a Yankee game on the road, I highly recommend it. First, you will not be alone. As you can tell from television there are always plenty of Yankees fans in the stands in any given stadium. I have been making my way around MLB to watch the Yankees and it is a good time. This year was different than last year because of The Jeter factor. Last year it was a Yankees love fest as even home team fans were feeling nostalgic. In past years most of the time the home crowd is begrudgingly tolerant of the pinstriped masses with a few instances of heckling (two years ago my 12-year-old niece was booed as she walked to the bathroom in Oakland). This year was different. The crowd was subdued and couldn’t quite be bothered to really care all that much. A very lukewarm crowd experience. I wasn’t heckled one time all weekend. That never happens. Part of this was the fact the A’s are in last place in the AL West, but a lot also had to do with the Yankees being viewed as less dominant than in past years.

Winnable Games

There are very few things worse than when your team loses a game that you really, really think they should win. This whole series felt winnable. And with the exception of Friday’s 6-2 drubbing at the hands of Sonny Gray, each game felt winnable. But, the worst of the three losses had to be the first game. On Thursday, May 28th the Yankees lost 5-4. The Yankees were coming off a sweep of the Kansas City Royals and were up 3-0 in this game in the 5th inning. Starter CC Sabathia looked pretty good and was cruising along. When the wheels just fell off.  Brett Lawrie hit a two-run home run to tie the game. And then the recent dfa’d David Carpenter came in and allowed two more runs. The Yankees tried to make in interesting in the 9th, but this game slipped away.

Ramon Flores

The rookie outfielder made his major league debut in left field. Flores impressed immediately by covering a lot of ground in the spacious O.co. He did not get a hit until the final game of the series, but his glove was on display the entire series. He made a catch in foul territory that was impressive enough that even the A’s fans around me stood up and clapped. Also, it was a treat to watch Brett Gardner offer a bit of rookie hazing as he ran in front of Flores several times and caught the ball right out of his glove, and he even pretended to throw the ball from Flores’ first hit into the stands. Flores is currently still searching for his groove at the plate but already has as many outfield assists (2) as he does hits.

Alex Rodriguez

The media has been enjoying reporting on A-Rod reception in each ballpark. In Oakland the reception was mixed as easily 1/3 of the stadium was Yankee fans. The A’s fans around me were quick to boo and to chant “cheater” or “steroids” but usually that quieted down when a savvy Yankee fan would remind the crowd that their own history of players with PED use is not the best. A well-placed Jose Canseco chant would usually quiet the boos. I can’t speak for every Yankees fan, but the A’s fans around me booed A-Rod and then actually apologized to me for doing so. And for what it is worth, the six-year-old Yankee fan next to me at one game was much more interested in booing Stephen Drew. As for A-Rod himself, he had a decent series including a ninja move to avoid being tagged out at home plate that was wasted in Thursday’s loss.

My Favorite Moment:

On Saturday, in the Yankees lone victory Dellin Betances came in to pitch the 9th inning. He threw a 99 mph ball to strike out Lawrie that was so nasty and unhittable that the entire A’s dugout let out a gasp.

Takeaways:

Ramon Flores’ defense: He’s good.

CC Sabathia is unlucky. Both in Oakland and again in Seattle it just seemed like it was less about skill and more about bad luck.

Didi Gregorius: His bat is coming alive. This is a good thing.

Carlos Beltran: He can still hit, but the foul territory at Oakland really showed how limited his mobility is.

Pitching: Chris Capuano is probably not a starter, and based on Seattle, maybe not a reliever either. Carpenter was dfa’d for a reason. Sabathia might actually be a good long man in the bullpen.

Other: If you are looking for a ticket deal then consider Oakland. I paid less than $90.00 for each game and I sat within 8 rows of home plate. But, don’t order the nachos, they are not good. And avoid the bathrooms after the 7th inning if you can, the rumors of the sketchy plumbing are too true.

Did you stay up late to watch the West Coast games? What were your observations or takeaways from this series? Have you ever gone to a Yankees game on the road? What was your experience?

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