Yankees feel earthquake, keep preparing for game

1dTristan H. Cockcroft and Eric Karabell

Jorge Castillo, ESPN Staff WriterApr 5, 2024, 12:03 PM ET

ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the Washington Wizards from 2014 to 2016 and the Washington Nationals from 2016 to 2018 for The Washington Post before covering the Los Angeles Dodgers and MLB for the Los Angeles Times from 2018 to 2024.NEW YORK — If the bitter cold weren’t enough, preparation for the Yankees’ home opener also featured a rare earthquake Friday morning.

Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres was taking batting practice from bench coach Brad Ausmus on the field when the earthquake rattled the region for more than 30 seconds. The Blue Jays weren’t on the field yet. The players in the visitors clubhouse didn’t react to the shaking.

It was a different story on the other side.

Aaron Judge said rumbles are usually felt at Yankee Stadium before games, but he quickly realized the shaking Friday was different. Judge declined to share where he was when it happened.

“I don’t want to say,” Judge said with a laugh. “I don’t want to say.”

Marcus Stroman, the Yankees’ starting pitcher Friday, was at his locker.

“It was just one of those things that was more shocking,” said Stroman, who went on to throw six scoreless innings in the Yankees’ 3-0 loss. “We were just kind of asking around like, ‘What was that?’ We thought it was maybe somebody pushing something up on the concourse. No one really knew.”

Yankees right fielder Juan Soto, hours from making his long-awaited home debut in pinstripes, said he didn’t notice the rare event “at all.”

“I was getting a massage,” Soto said, “so I was really relaxed.”

Yankees manager Aaron Boone was on the field talking to former Yankees catcher and current broadcaster John Flaherty behind the cage during the earthquake. Boone, who experienced countless tremors growing up in Southern California, said he didn’t think the vibration on his feet was the result of a earthquake.

“I thought it was the sound system,” Boone said.

The earthquake in New Jersey reached a magnitude of 4.8, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, and reportedly could be felt from Boston to Baltimore. The epicenter was detected about 45 miles west of New York City in Tewksbury, New Jersey.

“I heard it was Tewksbury, New Jersey,” Boone said, “and John Flaherty and I were talking about Bob Tewksbury. Can’t make it up.”