The Yankees will kick off next week with a subway series — even though they'll be playing the Tampa Bay Rays.
That's because a Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday series against the division rival originally scheduled for St. Petersburg, Florida, has been moved to Citi Field in Queens in anticipation of Hurricane Irma. Currently, forecasters think the category 4 storm could cause widespread damage across much of the Sunshine State.
Playing at other neutral sites, like the Baltimore Orioles' Camden Yards and the Chicago White Sox' Guaranteed Rate Field, was considered. But hotel availability was tough in both cities, so the series heads to New York — where only the Rays will need lodging.
The Rays are listed as the home team for this series, but they'll also be heading back to the Big Apple at the end of the month for one final series against the Bronx Bombers at Yankee Stadium. Both teams are still in contention for postseason berths.
The Mets, meanwhile, will be out of town for the duration of the series.
Fans who want to watch the Yankees-Rays game at Citi Field can buy tickets at mets.com/irma beginning 10 a.m. Saturday. Field-level reserved seating will be $25. There will be no fees on ticket purchases for the three-game series.
Parking, however, will be extremely limited at Citi Field due to set-up for the upcoming The Meadows Music & Arts Festival. Fans are encouraged to take mass transit.
Local
It's not the only sporting event to face changes in advance of the storm. In the NFL, a game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Miami Dolphins was rescheduled to week 11 ahead of the storm. Several college football powers -- including the Miami Hurricanes, Florida State Seminoles and Florida Gators -- opted to cancel or reschedule their Saturday contests ahead of the storm.
And after Hurricane Harvey ravaged Houston, The Rays played host to a series between Houston and Texas last month.
