Yanks throw a dance party in clubhouse after win

NEW YORK -- Brett Gardner's go-ahead grand slam shook the rafters of Yankee Stadium, prompting what Aaron Judge described as "chaos" in the home dugout. For a Yankees club that has been waiting for something significant to celebrate, their party was only beginning.

Moments after the final out of the Yankees' 5-3 victory over the Red Sox on Wednesday, a portable fog machine and strobe lights transformed the home clubhouse into a thumping dance party. The resulting haze was still visible after manager Aaron Boone's media session, for which he was briefly delayed.

"It’s been like a nightclub after we win," Clint Frazier said. "There are strobe lights. They turn the lights off and there’s a little bit of fog. You can see all the [strobe] lights around the room. It’s fun, man. It’s a way to get it going after a win. You guys didn’t know we had a nightclub in the locker room? Why not?"

The Yanks' clubhouse has been largely unaltered since the Stadium opened a decade ago, but new additions were unveiled for the home opener. Each corner of the room has a high-tech strobe installed near the ceiling, and the doorway leading to the field has a large device that can beam interlocking “NY” logos onto the walls and carpet.

"I think the idea was to play it after we win big games," Gardner said.

This qualified. Judge has long been in charge of the Yankees' clubhouse music, and he saw the two-game sweep of the Red Sox as a perfect time to play with the new toys.

"Especially Boston," Judge said. "Everything that happened last year, these were two good wins right there."

Gardner, who rounded the bases for his 100th career homer with the go-ahead slam off Ryan Brasier, said that the sweep may be just what the Yanks need to shrug off their injury-filled opening to the season.

"We need a little kick-start, obviously," Gardner said. "These first couple of weeks, we've been dragging along. With all the injuries and roster moves, it's been frustrating at times. Every day we show up and we've got a new challenge ahead of us."

Frazier said that the team has tried out the fog and strobe lights after other wins this year, but added: "I haven’t seen it that much. Maybe it’s because we’re playing the Red Sox, we let it go a little bit longer. … I couldn’t even see anybody in here. So many people were screaming."

So they know how the equipment works. Now the Yankees have to keep the party going.