Yankees fans already had to endure an offseason in which there was an MLB lockout that delayed the start of spring training and the regular season.
Now they’ll wait another day for Opening Day, as a wet forecast for Thursday in The Bronx forced the team to push back its season opener against the Red Sox to Friday at 1:05 p.m.
Even before the postponement was official, Aaron Judge noted on Tuesday when the Yankees broke camp in Tampa, that a rainout would be somewhat fitting, given how the past few months have gone.
“Especially after the lockout and how crazy the offseason was, not knowing when we were gonna play baseball or if we were gonna play at all this year and finally striking a deal [for a new collective bargaining agreement], making a lot of big moves, this is gonna be a fun year,’’ Judge said. “This is gonna be a fun year.”
One that began with a late start to a shortened spring training.
The Yankees had been scheduled to begin their season in Texas on March 31, but both that series and the following series in Houston were postponed and will be made up later in the year, with the Yankees taking two trips to visit the Astros to make up those three games then finishing the year in Texas, where they will play the final four games of the season.
The Yankees postponed Opening Day Corey SipkinBoth the Yankees and Red Sox will now work out at the Stadium on Thursday, and Gerrit Cole is still scheduled to start the first game.
With the loss of Friday’s off day, though, the Yankees will likely be forced to go with their fifth starter, Nestor Cortes on Tuesday against the Blue Jays instead of potentially going back to Cole.
Judge, who set an Opening Day deadline to get an extension done to avoid arbitration, has another day to talk to the Yankees to get a deal completed.
A failure to do so would mean the two sides would be headed to an arbitration hearing during the regular season and more talks following the World Series, before Judge is due to become a free agent for the first time.
The new-look lineup — with Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa in, and Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela out — looked good throughout spring training, with Kyle Higashioka leading the team in Grapefruit League homers, and Judge and Giancarlo Stanton hoping to pick up where they left off a year ago.
Gleyber Torres and DJ LeMahieu both showed encouraging signs of putting disappointing 2021 seasons behind them.
And with Torres back at second base and Kiner-Falefa at short, they believe their infield defense will be improved.
Asked for his assessment of the team, Judge called it “well-rounded.”
Aaron Judge and the Yankees will have to wait an extra day to start the season. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post“We made certain moves and filled some holes that we had for a couple of years and guys have gotten better,’’ Judge said. “We’ll do some damage this year.”
But he wasn’t ready to say it’s the “best” team he’s played on.
“I think it’s a pretty good team, I don’t know about the best team,’’ Judge said. “It’s the most established team I’ve been on.”
He pointed to the experience of players like LeMahieu and Anthony Rizzo — as well as the championship mettle of Rizzo, who won a World Series with the Cubs in 2016.
“We’ve got a lot of guys that have a lot of hardware in this room,’’ Judge said. “And guys’ track records in this room speak for themselves.”







