Yankees Notebook: Pitchers can’t hear PitchCom signals over Stadium’s two-strike alert
The awful two-strike sound the Yankees play over the sound system, which sounds like a dying whale, has been an issue for the Bombers’ pitchers using the PitchCom system. The sound, which is the Imperial Alarm from Star Wars, is played when a Yankees pitcher gets two strikes on a hitter and is teeth-rattling loud. The pitchers have found it interferes with them hearing the robotic voice that plays from a speaker inserted in their hat.
“The speakers are really loud and it’s kind of jarring,” Gerrit Cole said before Tuesday’s game against the Blue Jays. “It’s an interesting sound.”
Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake said that the noise could get so loud that the pitchers could not hear the pitch that the catcher was calling, but they are working around it. Cole said he would use the system for his second start of the season on Wednesday night.
MONTY GOOD TO GET UP AND GO
Lefty Jordan Montgomery, who got hit by a comebacker in Sunday night’s game, could barely walk on Monday, but Tuesday he was feeling much better. He threw on flat ground to test the left leg and said he would throw his bullpen on Wednesday.
But there was a real scare there.
“I think there was a little concern with him last night just because of the swelling he had in there. He had his knee drained and went for an MRI and a CT scan overnight and today that came back good. So he was significantly better today,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “When I walked in, actually, he was on the table and so much of the swelling was out of there. He’s moving around. He’s throwing today with the idea he’ll throw his bullpen tomorrow.”
GALLO ANSWERS THE QUESTIONS
Before Monday night’s game, Joey Gallo was answering questions about his struggles at the plate. Three hours later, the left fielder was the only Yankee to get a hit off of Toronto starter Alek Manoah and the only Bomber with two hits in the 3-0 loss to the Blue Jays.
“I’m seeing a lot of good at-bats, he’s winning a lot of pitches, he’s on a lot of pitches,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after the game. “[He’s] in a position to do what we know he can do.”
Gallo had a double, single and walk Monday night. He has walked in all four of the Yankees games this season.
It’s a small sample size, but at least it gives Gallo a chance to quiet the talk for at least a day about his terrible start to his Yankees career last season.
Gallo hit .160 with 13 homers and a .707 OPS in 58 games with 88 strikeouts in 188 at-bats last season after being acquired from the Rangers.
“My swing was a little off,” said Gallo, adding that he’s had “a chance to regroup and reset” this spring. “I can kind of get my swing back to where it was early in the year last year.”
