If everything goes according to plan, Major League Baseball will return in late July, and while fans won’t be in attendance when the regular-season action kicks off, Yankees chairman Hal Steinbrenner believes they will be back in the seats at some point during the 60-game season.

“We just need to make sure we keep everybody safe -- players, staff, and eventually fans,” Steinbrenner told the YES Network. “I do expect to see fans in our stadium at some point to some degree, and that’s going to be a great day as well.”

According to Steinbrenner, the Yankees have already had conversations with both the league and with Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office about getting fans safely back into Yankee Stadium.

“Those conversations have already happened, and we’ve also had a lot of conversations with the Governor’s office. He’s been great,” Steinbrenner said. “He’s been a big advocate of getting sports back on the field, and then eventually when things are safe, to get fans back in the stadium.”

Of course, if and when fans are allowed to attend games in person this season, it wouldn’t happen all at once. Capacity limits would be put in place to help keep fans spaced out and safe in the stands, but Steinbrenner believes it can be done safely.

“We’ve done a lot of work. Ticketmaster has been great helping us out, really putting a diagram together which would keep everybody at least six feet apart, and it would be limited,” Steinbrenner said. “I’m sure it will be in the 20-30 percent range, hopefully, at first, and it’s definitely possible in the stadium to keep people at a safe distance, wearing masks at those capacities.”

Steinbrenner explained that he felt both “excitement and relief” when the league and union came to an agreement on health and safety protocols for a 60-game season. And while he’s confident that the full 60-game set and postseason can be played, he once again stressed the importance of keeping all involved as safe as possible.

“MLB did a great job with these health protocols and the union was great agreeing to them. It’s going to keep everybody as safe as possible,” said Steinbrenner. “Safety is first when it comes to the players and all the staff, and eventually, hopefully fans. Everybody’s taking it, obviously, very seriously. I think the protocols are very thorough and very well thought out.”

Popular in the Community