The New York Yankees and their fans were greeted by all the glory of the senses in the team’s Grapefruit League opener at Tampa’s Steinbrenner Field.
The crack of the bat − from two Aaron Judge home runs and a monster shot from prospect Spencer Jones. The feel of the Hillsborough County sunshine on an 83-degree day.
And the smell of, well, raw sewage.
A pair of sewer lines broke outside the main entrance to George M. Steinbrenner Field, causing fans to tip-toe around what a security guard reportedly referred to as ‘the poo-poo water.’
Underground, the scene was much worse.
The Yankees clubhouse was inundated with sewage, manager Aaron Boone telling reporters: ‘It’s not great. It’s all over the place.’
The sewage reportedly had not reached the portion of the clubhouse housing the players’ lockers. Yet the mess forced Yankees players to conduct interviews in a hallway − where the funk was still palpable.
Not exactly the way you want to begin Grapefruit League play.
It’s an unfortunate turn for a field that saw multi-million dollar renovations the past couple years, both for the Yankees and to accommodate the Tampa Bay Rays during their one regular season campaign there last year as they relocated due to hurricane damage.
In better news for the Yankees, they defeated the Detroit Tigers 20-2. In less optimal news, the New York Mets are due in town come morning − leaving a quick turnaround time to fix the glitch.
And hopefully eradicate the stench.