Clarke Schmidt’s dad flew Yankees to Tampa for Rays series: ‘It was awesome’

TAMPA — Delta Air Lines typically prefers that its pilots don’t interact with celebrity passengers too much on chartered flights.

“You never want to have a pilot going up and saying, ‘Hey, can I get your autograph? Can I get this? Can I get that?’” Dwight Schmidt, a Delta pilot for 25 years, told the Daily News. “You don’t want to have those improprieties.”

But the former Marine fighter pilot made an exception on Thursday when he flew the Yankees to Tampa for their series against the Rays. Dwight is the father of Clarke Schmidt, so most of the plane already recognized him before he boarded the aircraft.

“It’s kind of a different dynamic because everybody knows me,” Dwight said. “I get on the airplane and everybody’s like, ‘Hey, Mr. Schmidt.’”

Dwight actually flew the Yankees to Iowa for the Field of Dreams game in 2021, but his son was not on the major league roster at the time.

“It was awesome,” Dwight said of Thursday’s trip, as he took a picture with Clarke in the cabin afterward. “It was, by far, the most fun experience I’ve got to do flying.”

Added Clarke: “It was a special moment. It was really cool for him to be able to kind of see our world a little bit.”

While the Yankees always have the same flight attendants, Dwight explained that Delta pilots bid on, or request, certain flights and charters, which are then assigned in accordance with seniority. It helps, however, that the company’s charter operators know him and who his son plays for.

Any opportunity to spend time with Clarke is welcomed during the season, and Dwight took the weekend off to attend the Rays series and watch his son pitch. Clarke is set to start on Saturday.

“I don’t miss many games,” Dwight said. “Because I fly, I’m able to get to games a lot easier than [my wife, Renee] does because we have to plan and get her there and all that other kind of stuff.”

While the Schmidts appreciated the rare chance to fly together, other Yankees were able see the cockpit and other parts of the plane that are normally off-limits to passengers.

“It was a good flight,” Clarke said. “I think everybody had a lot of fun. Some guys were able to see some things they’ve never seen before as far as like being able to go up there and see some stuff up front.

“Everything was regulated, I promise.”

Even Wandy Peralta, who is terrified of flying, appeared to be rocking less than usual in his seat, Clarke said.

“It was sick,” added a laughing Keynan Middleton. “I felt more safe because his son was on the plane.”

Aaron Boone, meanwhile, offered to fly the plane.

Dwight had given the manager and Ben Tuliebitz, the Yankees’ traveling secretary, a tour of Delta’s headquarters when the team visited Atlanta recently. There, Dwight coached Boone through a fight simulator.

“I said, ‘If you need me up here, I got this thing,’” Boone said. “I was kidding, but I did volunteer.”

“I was like, ‘Hell yeah. I’ll sit back here and hang out, put my feet up, let you guys go to work. I’m cool with that,’” Dwight said.

Of course, he didn’t need any help. Reviews of the flight were complimentary, and the father is now excited to see his kid pitch at Tropicana Field.

Dwight is hoping the start goes better than Clarke’s homecoming outing in Atlanta two turns ago, when the righty allowed eight earned runs over 2.1 innings.

“He just got his ass handed to him,” the dad admitted.

When told of his father’s blunt honesty, Clarke changed his assessment of Thursday’s flight.

“If we’re gonna take some shots, then I thought the landing was a little scraggly coming in,” the pitcher joked. “He said something about a crosswind, and then it kind of felt like a little bit of a pull. So we felt like he was cutting it a little bit too much.”

But if Clarke is being honest, “it was smooth sailing” with his dad in control.

THE LATEST ON JOSH DONALDSON

Josh Donaldson, recovering from a high-grade calf strain, has been rather visible over the last few weeks, doing on-field baseball activities and traveling with the Yankees to Tampa.

On Friday, Boone said that the third baseman is working toward starting a rehab assignment sometime soon.

“It’s definitely a possibility,” Boone said of Donaldson rejoining the Yankees this season. But the manager added, “You’re getting out a couple of weeks ahead of yourselves. He’s getting close to being in a rehab situation and he’s doing all the work to put himself in that position. So hopefully, he continues to make the right kind of progress to put himself in that position.”

Donaldson, out since July 15, can’t come off the injured list until mid-September. The Yankees, meanwhile, are focused on evaluating younger players. That includes Oswald Peraza, who is expected to see a lot of time at the hot corner.

Donaldson has struggled at the plate since being acquired by the Yankees last spring, and it’s hard to see him returning to the team next season. With that in mind, it will be interesting to see what the Yankees do with the 37-year-old once he’s eligible to come off the IL.

RIZZO’S NEXT STEPS

Boone also reiterated that Anthony Rizzo’s return from post-concussion syndrome will be based on his health, not where the last-place Yankees are in the standings.

Boone added that the progressing first baseman could face live pitching in the next few days. Rizzo took batting practice on the field during the Yankees’ last homestand.