Neighbors Groan When Yankees Fans Crowd the Streets

BRONX, N.Y.

On a warm Friday afternoon, hours before the Yankees take the field, the scene on the sidewalks along 161 Street starts to shift. Vendors selling water, hats, shirts, and food line the curbs. Thousands of fans wearing their pinstripes emerge from the D train and clatter down the stairs of the 4 train. The smell of nuts fills the air. For most fans, the crowd, the atmosphere feels like the beginning of a fun night. But for those who live here, it spells inconvenience. 

Many neighborhood people look at the baseball season stoically. “If I see a bunch of people in pinstripes heading toward the station, I already know I’m waiting for the next train,” said Sofia Cabrera, a psychology major at Hostos Community College. She grew up in the area. and jokes that she’s learned how to read the crowd like the weather. As she walked toward the 161 Street station she said, “It’s like a sixth sense you develop growing up around here.” 

Cabrera has a routine for when the season begins. If 161 looks too chaotic, she’ll skip it. She’ll go out of her way to the 167 Street station. “It got to the point where you learn how to walk differently during game days,” she said. “You tend to move faster, you dodge people. You don’t make eye contact with the drunk guy yelling about Judge. It’s a strategy now.” 

Other neighborhood people do similar things. Clarissa Santiago lives a couple of blocks north of the stadium. She tries to leave work earlier on game days. “The 4 train is unbearable when the Yankees are home! Two hours before the game starts and you could barely walk around,” she said. “I’ve missed my stop a couple of times because of how big the crowd gets.” 

Then there’s 15‑year‑old Maya Lopez, who lives off Gerard Avenue. For her, game days just mean delays. “The second I see Yankees jerseys, I know I’m not getting home on time,” she said. “The sidewalk turns into Times Square for no reason.” She said fans slow everything down. “I avoid 161 completely. I’d rather walk extra than get stuck behind a crowd moving in slow motion.”

Still, she admits the energy can be fun, when she’s not rushing. “It’s cool seeing the neighborhood light up. Just not when I’m trying to get home,” Lopez said.

The beefed-up police presence also changes things for locals. They appreciate the NYPD officers monitoring the crowds. But the barricades they put up to reroute the crowds and traffic, and the street closures often turn into barriers for neighborhood residents.

“The cops show up like it’s a parade and forget people actually live here,” Santiago said. “They block River Avenue from the mall past the McDonald’s, so nothing can get through. And the only bus they let pass is the 13, which already takes forever on a normal day.” 

Still, she shrugs it off. She feels annoyed yet gets it.  “When they [the Yankees] are home, the entire neighborhood shifts.” Cabrera said. “It gets louder, busier, and more annoying, but also kind of alive. We complain, but we’ve learned how to deal with it. It’s the charm of living here,” she said laughing.