Some Yankees season-ticket holder who traveled from his Long Island home to be part of baseball history, were royally amazed Saturday at London Stadium.
No, it wasn’t the Yankees’ and Red Sox’s 58-minute, 12-run first-inning that left an indelible impression, but rather the company they kept during that marathon of an opening act.
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex were at the game and everyone was turning around and taking pictures. The stadium staff were yelling, “Please sit down and enjoy the game!”
The royalty lent a most British touch to a ballgame that could have been mistaken for Yankee Stadium or Fenway Park. But chants like “Luuuke!” for Yankees first baseman Luke Voit (who departed midway with an injury) or “Mooook!” for Red Sox superstar Mookie Betts thundered prominently.
It felt and looked close to a 50-50 split in terms of rooting interests, and they buckled in for the contest that sped up only a little bit after the opening frame.
London Stadium’s cozy dimensions, lightning fast turf, jet-lagged pitchers and lineups that feature big muscles led to a high scoring game.
Whatever the reason, the Yankees and Red Sox abused pitchers on the way to a 17-13 Yankees victory in front of a spirited and sold-out crowd of 59,659 Saturday night.
NEW YORK SPORTS THIS WEEK 