NEW YORK _ The first sign that things would be different Monday night for the Yankees was the Game 3 introductions. Usually routine, with each name greeted by enthusiastic applause from a crowd still filing into the Stadium, the tradition received more attention when Joe Girardi was booed upon his return to the Bronx after his Division Series blunder in Cleveland.
Not so this time.
Apparently, all is forgiven with the Yankees manager. Despite the 0-2 hole in the American League Championship Series, there immediately was a positive vibe before Game 3, and it didn't take very long for a festive mood to sweep through the Stadium, starting with the raucous roll call and helped along by the previously dormant Yankees offense finally sparking to life.
The new building _ a glitzy, spacious palace _ never can be the old ballpark that once stood across the street. It's designed differently, with upper decks too far back to intimidate the opposing team, as they used to in the other place.
We've yet to feel the balconies bounce during a Yankees rally, or experience the decibel levels produced during the dynasty years. But that doesn't mean this Stadium can't be an asset to players currently wearing pinstripes, and the Yankees have learned to take advantage of this Bronx domicile. They compiled the best home record (51-30) in the American League in the regular season and have yet to lose this October, winning, 8-1, on Monday night to reduce their deficit to 2-1.
And yes, this ballpark is getting loud again. Loud enough to rattle the visitors, and loud enough to spur that helpful surge of emotion in the Yankees.
"I think that's a factor," Girardi said Monday afternoon. "And it's a noise that you want to hear. We go to other places, we get noise we don't want to hear a lot of times. I think the fans do play a role."
As do the Stadium's hitter-friendly dimensions, which Todd Frazier took advantage of with a three-run homer in the second inning. Frazier had great numbers against Astros starter Charlie Morton anyway (7-for-18, two doubles, two homers) but this was a Bronx special, barely reaching the second row in right field. Morton tried a 95-mph fastball, low and away, but Frazier still managed to punch it, almost one-handed, over the wall.
Visiting teams shoot at the same target, but the Yankees always seem to have better aim. The same right-field fence also turned out to be a factor r in the fourth, when Aaron Judge crashed into the padding to rob Yuli Gurriel of extra bases. Two days earlier, at Minute Maid Park, Judge was more hesitant while giving chase on Carlos Correa's fly ball, which just cleared the wall.
Both Judge and Girardi said his lack of familiarity with Houston's ballpark no doubt contributed to his more cautious approach, but that clearly wasn't an issue back home, where the hulking right fielder has patrolled his position aggressively all year. Judge's grab instantly restarted the "M-V-P" chants _ down in Houston, those were for Jose Altuve _ and that would be a continuing theme for the night.
When Judge stepped to the plate in the bottom half, he smoked a line-drive homer off reliever Will Harris, drilling it over the left-field wall for a three-run shot. Judge has been a more dangerous hitter at home during the regular season, so it figured that if he was ever going to snap out of his playoff funk, it would happen in the Bronx. Judge was 2-for-28 before that blast, with 20 strikeouts.
As for CC Sabathia, his performance had to conjure up some of the same feelings from the championship team in 2009, his first in pinstripes. When Sabathia wrapped up his scoreless six innings, the place erupted in praise.
The Yankees still have plenty of work to do to topple the Astros, but getting back to the Bronx turned out to be the big boost that we anticipated. It's real, and could help change the course of this ALCS.
.jpg?w=600)
