I will tell you, Yankee Stadium you had your ups and downs in, because I had been in that ballpark when we were really good and they were not. So there wasn’t a whole lot of action going on, there wasn’t a whole lot of interest going on, and so it wasn’t that great.
I had been in that ballpark when we were really bad and the Yankees were really good, and then they all yell at you, and they beat up on you, and that’s not fun, but when you’re good and they’re good, the same year, same time, and you go into a September series, basically with the American League East title on the line… That happened a few times in my career where this four-game series could change the way that the whole season happens. The fans in New York were so reactive they didn’t need anybody — any scoreboard — to prompt them to cheer. Like, they knew when a big pitch was happening and a one-to-one pitch in the first inning, in a key situation.
And that place would be rocking. So there were times when, in order to play, you have to zone all that out. So you’re hitting and you’re fielding, and all that kind of stuff, you can’t be worrying about all that. There were times in Yankee Stadium when I was walking to the mound, pitcher and coach was coming out to kind of talk to the pitcher for a second, you know, kind of calm him down to buy a little time. We might have a lead in a game by one run, they just have their leadoff hitter on base, and all of a sudden, they can anticipate. Derek Jeter was coming to the plate or something. They’re anticipating that something good was going to happen.
And this place is rocking. You could take yourself out of the baseball mode, and it felt like it was the loudest place, you know, outdoor place, and it felt like the stands were kind of bouncing a little bit, and you would think to yourself, “Man, this is cool.” And then you’d walk back to the position of shortstop and try to zone it all out again.