On Monday night, the stagnant Yankees offense would've been sparked by an Oswaldo Cabrera fly ball to medium-depth left field ... that is, if they were playing at Camden Yards circa 2021.
The Orioles' ballpark changed overnight between the 2021 and 2022 seasons when they moved the stadium's left-field wall back significantly (a maximum depth of 30 additional feet) and added five feet in height. No matter which side of the aisle you come down on here with regard to the cheapness of limiting offense artificially rather than, say, importing better pitching, it's objectively a little bit funny they pivoted midstream. Say what you will about the Yankees' short porch, but at least it's always been there. It's actually less short than it used to be, a point trolling O's fans accidentally made in the post-Monday frenzy.
Which brings us back to Cabrera's flyout, which objectively was caught, retiring him and sending the Yankees one step closer to a series-opening thud. As Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay now infamously noted, though, things might've been different if the wall hadn't been pushed back by builders into oblivion.
And, as the Orioles team store noted in response, it was and there's nothing you can do about it and please pay us $50 if you want the baseball as a memento of your failure.
Yankees announcer Michael Kay trolled by Baltimore Orioles team store at Camden Yards
That's a high-quality troll right there, though you can quibble with only one aspect of the caption. Who cares that Cabrera's ball would've been a homer in only six of 30 current big-league ballparks? The old Camden Yards dimensions are the only ones that matter here. "It would've been gone if you hadn't picked up the wall and moved it" is more relevant than "It would've been gone in Cincinnati!"
Regardless, the Yankees put themselves in the unenviable position of needing a miracle by going completely silent with runners in scoring position all game long against Grayson Rodriguez and the Orioles' bullpen, a dastardly feat they impressively "matched" in Tuesday's follow-up loss.
That's the saddest reality of all. This series might be remembered more for an offhanded broadcaster comment than any of the Yankees' actual thunder. At least Kay didn't insinuate that the Orioles were cheating this time.