The New York Yankees are heading home with their season hanging in the balance after dropping the first two games of the American League Division Series to the Tampa Bay Rays.
Former Yankees outfielder Andrew McCutchen believes there may be more to New York’s struggles at Tropicana Field than just what has happened over the first two games.
Speaking on MLB Network on Tuesday, McCutchen was asked about the mindset inside a clubhouse facing a 2-0 series deficit. He immediately thought back to his brief stint with the Yankees in 2018 and what players used to say about playing Tampa Bay on the road.
“Oh yeah, I remember I was there in 2018 when I came over,” McCutchen said. “We went to the Rays stadium, and I remember them all talking about how they just can’t beat the Rays in Tampa. That was always a thing that they talked about.”
McCutchen said his reaction at the time was essentially to ignore the history and trust the talent on the roster. “And I remember being like, dude, we’re a good team, let’s go, let’s win,” he said.
Andrew McCutchen says when he played for the Yankees in 2018, the players would always talk about how hard it was to beat the Rays at Tropicana Field.
McCutchen talked about overcoming those thoughts back in 2018, and looking back at that September 2018 series, the Yankees did win three of four at Tropicana Field. Still, based on McCutchen’s comments, there seems to be something about the Rays’ ballpark that hangs over the Yankees’ heads.
Andrew McCutchen Says Tropicana Field Is a ‘Cloud’ Over Yankees
Even though McCutchen had some success with the Yankees at Tropicana Field, he believes the difficulty of playing there has stuck with the organization.
McCutchen said the issue is something that continues to linger when the Yankees play Tampa Bay on the road. “That’s the cloud that’s over their head,” McCutchen said.
That comment feels pretty relevant right now with the Yankees going down 0-2 in Tampa. The Yankees dropped Game 1 as Rays starter Drew Rasmussen carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning. The Yankees mustered just one hit.
In Game 2, that “cloud” seemed to hover over the team again. The Yankees committed four errors in a 5-2 loss. That included three errors in the first inning alone. Ben Rice had a big day hitting two solo home runs, but the rest of the lineup was quiet.
McCutchen’s point isn’t purely anecdotal, either. The Rays took five of seven games played at Tropicana against the Yankees during the regular season before notching two more there in the ALDS.
McCutchen Sees Yankee Stadium as Chance to Reset
McCutchen’s comments weren’t all doom and gloom for Yankees fans, however.
With the series shifting back to New York, he believes the Yankees now have an opportunity to change the atmosphere completely.
“But going back to New York, they’re gonna have a lot of fun,” McCutchen said. “They know that being at home, being in front of their own stadium, they’re gonna bring it. Those fans are gonna be loud. They’re gonna have that type of advantage, and they hit well. I mean, they hit well in Yankee Stadium.”
The Yankees will host Game 3 on Wednesday night with their season on the line. Tampa Bay needs just one more victory to advance to the American League Championship Series, while New York must win three straight games to survive. MLB lists Game 3 for 8 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium.
If the Yankees can use their home crowd to their advantage and get back into this series, they would get a chance to head back to Tropicana Field for a decisive Game 5. For now, they will just have to take things a game at a time, as they have no more room for error(s).
Andrew McCutchen Sounds Warning About Yankees’ Tropicana Field Struggles