Guardians return to Yankee Stadium for 1st time since April fan incident

NEW YORK -- The last time the Guardians were at Yankee Stadium, chaos broke out in the outfield.

It was April 23, and Cleveland carried a one-run lead into the ninth inning. Fans in the left-center-field seats made comments that caught the attention of all three Guardians outfielders. Right fielder Oscar Mercado started yelling up into the stands before center fielder Myles Straw climbed the wall to continue the verbal battle. The game ended with trash getting thrown onto the warning track in right field near Mercado, which prompted Straw to express his frustration with the fans in his postgame interviews.

It almost seems inevitable that fans will make sure Straw remembers the encounter when he takes the field in Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Tuesday in the Bronx.

“I would assume they would,” Guardians manager Terry Francona said. “I kind of hope they will. This is New York, man. That's part of the fun of being here.”

Francona briefly reminisced on times at the old Yankee Stadium, when he’d hear fans make fun of the size of his nose or his lack of hair, and he chuckled. At this point in the season, the Guardians are over five months removed from the incident and can now remember it with smiles on their faces.

“It's a fun aspect of the big leagues, of really all professional sports, how much the fans care,” Guardians catcher Austin Hedges said. “It makes it so much more special. One of the reasons why coming and playing in New York is special is because of how much the fans care.”

There’s been a lot of speculation as to whether that moment at Yankee Stadium was the driving force behind the brotherhood that’s developed in Cleveland’s clubhouse. But regardless of whether that incident is what gelled this team, the Guardians are ready to put it in their rearview mirror.

“We know this is a big market and a big fan base, and we know what they are going to do,” Guardians third baseman José Ramírez said through an interpreter. “But in reality, we cannot put too much attention to that and give my mind to it. We will just focus on our game and try to do our best.”

The Guardians are a different team now than they were in April. The starting lineup still consisted of players like Mercado, Ernie Clement and Franmil Reyes. The roster was still working on discovering its identity. Cleveland has learned a lot about its club since April 23. Now, it's looking forward to its postseason roster taking on Yankee Stadium.

“That being said, you know, we love the fans. We love the energy that everyone brings,” Guardians Game 1 starter Cal Quantrill said. “We are going to go out there and do our jobs and focus on baseball and let the fans cheer.”