Why the Yankees don't play an Old-Timers' Day game anymore

The Yankees will honor their long and storied past on Saturday when they hold the 76th Old-Timers’ Day at Yankee Stadium.

The recent past will be on display, too, as the team celebrates the 15th anniversary of their last World Series-winning team from 2009.

One thing that also appears to be part of the past? The Old-Timers’ Day game.

The Yankees are not holding one this year. They have not had an Old-Timers’ game since 2019, first because of the pandemic and then because there seem to be fewer retired players who want to put on the pinstripes and run around for three innings.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said on Thursday: “I'm OK with [not playing a game]. I know some, like Willie Randolph, like to get out there and fall down and do some things. I'm not as good at falling anymore.”

Former Yankee Paul O’Neill said he’s also OK with not playing.

“The guys who are playing the game are the guys out there,” O’Neill, 61, said earlier this week, pointing to the field where the current Yankees were taking batting practice. “It’s fun for the fans. But a lot of the old players, once you don’t play anymore, you just don’t play anymore.”

Instead of a game, for the second straight year the Yankees will hold a Q&A with players. This year, it will focus on the 2009 squad and will be hosted by radio broadcaster Suzyn Waldman and 2009 Yankees manager Joe Girardi, who is an analyst for the YES Network.

Will the game come back in future years? It doesn’t sound like it, according to Yankees senior vice president of marketing Debbie Tymon, who plans and runs Old-Timers’ Day. Tymon told Newsday the team is considering adding on-field events such as a home run derby for future Old-Timers’ Days.

When asked on Thursday why there was no game scheduled for this season, Tymon said: “I think it's a couple of things. I think this [2009] team is a group of guys that need to be heard from. I think interviewing them, coming back 15 years later and listening to them talk about the World Series, is critical. I think that connection is lost when you try to play a game. And when you want to try to field a team, you really have to invite 60 or 70 people to Old-Timers’ Day, because they can only stay on the field for an inning. They can only pitch to one batter.

“Although the introductions, to me, are the best part of the ceremony, I think the actual closeness to the men on the field is diminished when they play. I think the Q&A lets you see more of their personalities and hear their reflections.

“We're going to hope to bring back some type of physical activity in the future. Maybe not a three-inning game. Maybe there's some type of home run competition, things like that.”

The argument for the Yankees holding a game this year is that the 2009 players are “young” Old-Timers. Derek Jeter is 50. Andy Pettitte is 52. Alex Rodriguez, who is making his first Old-Timers’ Day appearance, is 49. Hideki Matsui, the 2009 World Series MVP, is 50. CC Sabathia is 44.

Said Tymon: “I really do think a couple of these guys – I think Hideki would love to swing the bat, and CC would love to pitch. But that's two out of 50. The odds are not in my favor.”

The Yankees list 32 former players among the returnees this year, including 16 members of the 2009 squad.

While some of the younger former players may not like the title “Old-Timer” – Jeter immediately comes to mind -- Pettitte told Newsday earlier this week: “I’ve greyed up everywhere. Fifty-two years old now. We’re old. Doesn’t hurt my feelings to call me an Old-Timer.”

But in order to hold a game, you have to have a lot more than four or five willing participants, and Jeter is known to not be willing.

At last year’s Old-Timers’ Day -- the first for Jeter since he retired in 2014 – the former Yankees captain was asked by MLB.com if he regretted not putting on the pinstripes and playing shortstop one more time.

“No,” he said.

Pettitte, who this week threw batting practice at Yankee Stadium and looked as if he could not only throw a few innings in an Old-Timers’ game, but also for the current club, said: “If there's players that don't want to come back because of the game or whatever, then that could be an issue. I’m not real sure. I’m for whatever the Yankees decide to do with it.”

Certainly, there are many fans who remember Old-Timers’ games of past years and have fond memories of seeing their heroes play again, even at reduced speeds. The Yankees acknowledge that.

“I think we all miss the game back in the day when Mickey Rivers would run and roll in centerfield and things like that,” Tymon said. “The game has always been a fun part of Old-Timers’ Day.

“But I think the feedback we got was the fans liked hearing directly from the players. Other than sound bites on sports talk shows, they never actually hear a player reflect on a specific experience, a moment, a teammate, or an at-bat. I think it gave the fans a different connection to the players. You put this group together, they create their own dynamic. They tease each other, they laugh, they feed on each other's statements. I think it really was well-received. Of course, we'd love to bring some type of on-field activity back in the future, but the Q&A was very well received.”

One other question: Why did the Yankees decide to honor the 2009 club in year 15 instead of waiting  until year 20?

“I think for all of us who live in this world of baseball, 2009 seems like yesterday,” Tymon said. “But in reality, it’s 15 years ago. I think one of the most important things about Old-Timers’ Day, because our fans are so multi-generational, is to continue to always pull the thread of Yankee history from generation to generation . . . It's great to wait 20, 25 years. They're all wonderful milestones. But I think it's time to just bring in that group and remind our young fans, yes, these are your heroes. They're our Yankee family, and we round it out with other retired numbers, Hall of Famers, distinguished Yankees. So it appeals to all generations of fans.”

The last Old-Timers’ Day game in New York was held by the Mets in 2022. The Mets honored their 60th anniversary with their first Old-Timers’ Day since 1994 with 64 former players in attendance.

Since then, the Mets have not held another Old-Timers’ Day, instead using number retirement ceremonies and other alumni events to connect to their past. A Mets spokesman said the team has discussed having another Old-Timers’ Day in the future, but said nothing has been finalized.

With David Lennon

By Anthony Rieber

anthony.rieber@newsday.comAnthonyRieber

Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.