Yankee players speak on the ‘playoff like’ atmosphere against Houston

The Yankees took down the Astros on Tuesday night by a score of 7-3. It was the first time the two have met since Houston’s cheating scandal. Even though we are almost two years removed, the fans didn’t let up. Yankee Stadium was erupting with boos every time a Houston player stepped up to the plate. It continued the entire game.

The playoff-like atmosphere in the Bronx didn’t stop the Bombers from performing. Bregman crushed a solo shot in the first inning and shut the crowd up. However, in the bottom half, Stanton slammed a two-run shot to take the lead back. New York finished the first with three runs on the board and never gave up the lead again.

Yankee Stadium contained an atmosphere that not many have experienced. Of course, the fans have been loud and crazy in the past, but this was different. It was a sellout 10,000 person crowd filled with anti-Astro chants from start to finish. The Yankee players themselves have never been around a crowd like this.

Multiple players spoke to the media after the game and addressed the crazy atmosphere.

One of those players was Giancarlo Stanton. He happened to be 4-5 last night and extended his hitting streak to ten games. He said the atmosphere was playoff-like. “They were standing for most of the game and were into every pitch.” Stanton stated that the fans were expressing some “bottled up emotions” for most of the game. He also said it was “huge” to respond with that two-run shot in the first because the fans could’ve lost that “spark” that they came in with. He said this game made the Yankees “relive the past” heartbreaks against Houston. Stanton ended by saying he was glad he wasn’t “on the other side” of that tonight. 

DJ LeMahieu also addressed the media following his 2-4 performance. He also said it was “very playoff-like.” Saying that although it was “very intense,” it was “fun” to be a part of. DJ said they knew a lot of people would “have this game circled.” However, LeMahieu said it was just important to “take care of business and get the win.” Like Stanton stated before, LeMahieu said it was something he’d never been a part of. Saying that, he was happy the crowd “had our backs” the entire game. He finished by saying that this situation is something fans “aren’t going to be willing to turn the page on” anytime soon. 

Stanton and LeMahieu said it best. They knew fans would have this game circled, and it would be a crazy atmosphere. They seemed to handle it well and gave the fans what they wanted to see. Their main focus tonight was to handle business, and they did just that.

Tune in tonight as the Yankees go for the series win! Jordan Montgomery will be on the bump, and first pitch will be at 7:05 pm EST. Look forward to another relentless crowd and hopefully another victory.