The neighborhood buzzed with a palpable energy that even non-fans couldn’t ignore. However, around Yankee Stadium on Opening Day, true neutrality didn’t exist. The excitement ignited hours before the first pitch and never let up.
By 9 am, Jerome Avenue was already packed with cars. Early birds filled the Rupert Garage, eager not just for a game but for the annual celebration of a new season.
NYPD officers were busy setting up stanchions along the sidewalks, preparing to manage the soon-to-be-thick pedestrian traffic. Despite the cold, which muted the usual smells of peanuts and popcorn—and in the past, cigars—the atmosphere still hinted at something special.
Year 14 of what feels like an endless championship drought begins for the Yankees. The offseason frustration drove fans to madness, with Hal Steinbrenner frequently labeled a cheapskate and calls for Brian Cashman’s and Aaron Boone’s firing becoming a sport of its own.
Yet, on Opening Day, all grievances dissolve. Everyone in baseball feels hope, even perpetual underdogs like the Pirates and Royals.
For the Yankees, 2023 marks the start of the Anthony Volpe era and the continuation of Aaron Judge’s saga, with Gerrit Cole taking the mound in the most symbolic game of the year. In perfect fashion, the Yankees methodically dismantled the Giants, winning 5-0.
But the real season kicks off on Saturday. With Friday’s rest day behind them, the Yankees and Giants will face off again, shifting the atmosphere from festive to intense. The offseason questions will resurface, pressing the Yankees to answer the lingering query since 2009: is this finally the year?