The Yankees changed their Orioles vs Yankees schedule on Thursday evening, moving Saturday's scheduled 7:05 p.m. game to the first game of a single-admission doubleheader beginning at 4:05 p.m. Friday. They also moved CC Sabathia's number retirement festivities to before Friday's first game.
The move came as a weather-related rescheduling tied to an impending nor'easter, but it immediately created a problem for fans who bought Saturday tickets specifically to attend Sabathia's ceremony. For many, the original plan was the reason to go in the first place.
Why fans were upset
Casey Powell said he had been looking forward to the day because Sabathia meant a lot to him as a Yankees fan. He also said he understood the weather was making a change likely, but wanted to see how the Yankees would handle it once it became clear Saturday's game probably would not be played as scheduled.
When the announcement came, Powell called it disappointing and said a lot of fans felt the same way. In his view, the issue was not only the move itself, but the way it affected people who had specifically planned around Sabathia's jersey retirement.
Powell said the Yankees dropped the ball by turning it into a single-day doubleheader and leaving Saturday ticket holders with nothing. He also pointed out that Friday buyers would still get the Josh Hart Yankees bobblehead and Sabathia's ceremony, while the Saturday group would not.
Desirae Ross said none of them were able to go after the change. She added that the situation was sad because someone in the group had been looking forward to it, and she felt the Yankees did not handle it professionally or give enough notice. Ross also said people should be allowed refunds.
What comes next
Friday's doubleheader now becomes the center of the weekend, with the Sabathia celebration tied to the first game and the bobblehead giveaway set for the first 18,000 fans. For the Yankees, the rescheduling solved the weather problem, but it also left a section of fans feeling shut out of an event they had planned to see.
Friday morning, Casey Powell was still trying to work through the right solution while waiting to hear from a Gametime manager.
