The New York Yankees had already been forced to wait out the weather. Then Yankee Stadium apparently decided to add another delay of its own. During the first inning of the Yankees’ clash with the St. Louis Cardinals, portions of the stadium’s floodlights went dark twice, stopping play and leaving players and fans waiting for the lights to come back on.
The first outage arrived at the top of the first inning as Yankees pitcher Will Warren was preparing to face Cardinals designated hitter Ivan Herrera. With the field suddenly too dark for play to continue safely, the game was paused.
Yankee Stadium Goes Dark Again
Then, only a few minutes later, it happened again.
This time, the lights above right field went out, prompting audible groans from the Yankee Stadium crowd. Cardinals pitcher Andre Pallante also appeared visibly frustrated as everyone was once again forced to wait.
It was hardly the start anyone expected after rain in New York had already delayed the game. Fans who had waited for the weather to cooperate now found themselves watching another unusual interruption before the night had even moved beyond the opening inning.
And social media wasted absolutely no time.
Fans Joke About the Yankees’ Electric Bill
With the Yankees carrying a payroll approaching $300 million this season, fans quickly turned the lighting problems into jokes about the franchise forgetting to handle a much more basic expense: the electric bill.
“Try unplugging and plugging back in,” one fan joked after the second outage.
“They really are broke,” another wrote.
One fan managed to work Yankee Stadium concession prices into the situation, joking, “The lights are going out at Yankee Stadium because I’m not there paying their entire electric bill with 3 Bud Light tallboys.”
Yankees chairman Hal Steinbrenner was inevitably dragged into the fun as well.
“Hal didn’t pay his electric bill,” another fan cracked.
But after two outages and an earlier rain delay, not everybody was interested in laughing.
Frustration Boils Over in the Bronx
“Hey Hal Steinbrenner, Can you afford some f***ing working lights at the stadium??? What the hell is going on? This is embarrassing,” one frustrated fan wrote.
Another offered an even shorter assessment: “Yankees game is a complete s*** show.”
For a franchise accustomed to the bright lights of the Bronx being part of its identity, Wednesday produced a very different kind of spectacle. Before the Yankees and Cardinals could get through the first inning, the stadium lights had already become one of the biggest stories of the night.
The Yankees may have one of baseball’s biggest payrolls, but for a few strange moments at Yankee Stadium, all anyone wanted was enough electricity to play ball.
