New York Yankees Fans Once Again Embarrassed Themselves In Game Three
The New York Yankees lost the first two games of the 2024 World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers in heartbreaking fashion. Game one ended with a historic walk off grand slam hit by Freddie Freeman, and New York had an opportunity to come from behind in game two end with the bases loaded in the ninth inning thanks to an Anthony Volpe strikeout and Jose Trevino flyball.
But with game three shifting the series back to New York, the series remained far from over.
Yankee Stadium has a reputation for being one of the toughest places to play in the sport, with the infamous "bleacher creatures" creating a hostile environment. That hostile environment was expected to give the Yankees a boost, with some fan support potentially helping Aaron Judge recover his regular season form.
There's a hostile environment, then there's what Yankees fans did at the start of game three. Multiple reporters confirmed that New York fans were chanting "F*** you Freddie" while Dodgers star Freddie Freeman hit in the top of the first inning. He responded by hitting a two-run homer to give LA an early lead.
That was just the latest incident where Yankees fans displaying their usual blend of classless behavior and unnecessary vulgarity. Like when a huge gathering at a New York sports bar started cheering when Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani went down with a shoulder injury in game two. Or flipping off the television.
It wasn't just that though. New York Yankees fans, in droves, were repeatedly seen on video leaving the World Series early. Despite being down just four runs in a must-win game.
Even as early as the 7th inning, fans were pouring out into the street.
Chant foul language at the opposing team, go down early, give up, then start leaving well before the game is over. First home World Series game in 15 years, and see it end with tens of thousands of open seats. Even as the Yankees were one baserunner away from bringing the tying run up to the plate. Not exactly burnishing their fan credentials.
NEW YORK - Freddie Freeman #5 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts after the final out during Game 3 of the 2024 World Series presented by Capital One between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Monday, October 28, 2024. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
New York Yankees Fans Too Distracted By Other Teams?
David Ortiz noticed that the Bronx crowd wasn't into the game from the beginning, after the disastrous Fat Joe performance before first pitch.
READ: The New York Yankees Had Fat Joe Open World Series Game 3 And Fans Aren't Happy
Other reporters noticed the same thing about the stadium's underwhelming environment.
One of the best parts of the World Series experience is the crowd noise, the excitement and energy in the stands. Yankees fans failed to deliver. Yes, the Dodgers jumped out to a 2-0 lead early, but two runs are hardly enough to give up on a game, especially with an offense that has high-powered stars like Juan Soto, Giancarlo Stanton and yes, even Aaron Judge.
Maybe the Yankees fans haven't been able to focus on baseball with the Dallas Cowboys and LA Lakers also in action this month. Or maybe many of the "true" fans were priced out. But plenty of the videos of fans leaving were taken well up into the upper deck, where tickets were "cheaper."
Regardless, it was an embarrassing performance for a fanbase that likes to pride itself as being one of the best in sports. Monday night should put a permanent end to that discussion.