Mar 20, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (27) is congratulated after he hit a home run during the fourth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
MLB: Spring Training-Pittsburgh Pirates at New York Yankees
(Mexico City) – Monday night the Yankees will complete their spring training schedule.
In split-squad fashion, half the team will play a Grapefruit League finale with the crosstown rival Mets. The rest of the team is south of the border in Mexico, playing exhibition games with the Diablos Rojos – a Mexican League squad.
That meant playing at altitude well above what MLB players experience when playing at Coors Field in Denver.
On the outskirts of Mexico City, Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú sits 7,349 feet above sea level. Coors Field is at around 5,200 feet above sea level.
Playing at altitude means the air is thinner, and it can be harder to catch your breath.
Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton noticed after taking a deep breathe this past weekend:
“All right, I’ve got a little bit less lung capacity or something.” Air quality measurements say Mexico City had a 120 air quality index on Sunday, as the teams took the field. That’s considered “unhealthy” for sensitive groups. On the field, temperatures hovered around 85 degrees. Stanton explained “You don’t have as much oxygen, but it also seems slightly humid and 90 degrees, and it all smacks you in the face at once. It’s probably the weirdest feeling I’ve felt.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone explained “guys are definitely feeling the altitude. Especially the coaches, walking up the stairs. That takes some getting used to.”
The altitude wasn’t the only issue that Yankees players were cautioned about. Infamously known as “Montezuma’s Revenge,” many have visited Mexico and experienced intestinal distress as a result. Yankees players were told to avoid eating any fruit that doesn’t have a removable outer skin, only drink bottled water, and brush their teeth with that same water. A team dinner was organized for Sunday night.
The Yankees also provided players with access to oxygen tanks. When traveling abroad, precautions have to be taken.
And with Opening Day set for later this week – all while the Yankees deal with several injured players – illness stemming from an end of spring training exhibition would be tough to stomach
