Yankee Stadium is not the hostile environment it once was. Since the new park opened with higher ticket and concession prices, empty seats on game day have become a common theme. Some of that emptiness has carried over into the playoffs, and Tigers outfielder Quintin Berry said that has made New York a comfortable city to play in.
“This is a very easy place to play now,” Berry told Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports. “Coming from Oakland, the fans there were so rowdy. It was easier to come here.”
Even when Yankees fans have made noise by booing, it’s been directed at their own players. Robinson Cano was booed on Sunday and Nick Swisher said he has been “hurt” by the way the fans in right field have treated him.
“Our fans haven’t had much to cheer about, so you can’t blame them,” Alex Rodriguez said. “You’ve got to blame us. If I was sitting there, I’d be perplexed, too. We didn’t score any runs. What the hell are you going to cheer about?”
For once, the secondary ticket market is not to blame. Thousands of Yankee Stadium seats sat empty during Games 1 and 2 of the ALCS, some of which could have been had for around $15 on the day of the games. If the Yankees are fortunate enough to take two of three from the Tigers in Detroit this week, perhaps they will return home to a packed house. If Detroit is the final stop of New York’s 2012 season, this postseason will truly be one for Yankees fans to forget.
