Anthony Kay, a Long Island native and Yankees fan growing up, will make his first career start at the new Yankee Stadium on Wednesday with family and friends in the stands. The night carries added meaning for his mother’s first chance to see him pitch since he
NEW YORK — Anthony Kay grew up on Long Island with the kind of baseball routine that sticks for a lifetime. His father would drive him and his brother from East Setauket to the old Yankee Stadium, a trip that took about an hour and a half each way.
On Wednesday, Kay will make his first career start at the new Yankee Stadium, which opened in 2009. About 20 family members and friends are expected to be in the stands.
“A huge part of my childhood was coming here with my dad and my brother,” Kay said. “Being a massive Yankees fan was really fun.” His favorite player was left-handed pitcher Andy Pettitte.
That fandom made one twist feel especially strange later on. The Mets drafted Kay twice—first out of Ward Melville High School in the 29th round in 2013, and then out of Connecticut in the first round in 2016.
Kay is 31 now, and he has already appeared twice in relief at this stadium. But this start is different, especially for his mother, who will see him pitch for the first time since he was with the Cubs in 2023.
She’ll watch a pitcher who has been in a strong stretch. Kay has allowed two earned runs or fewer in seven of his last eight outings. The one outing that didn’t go smoothly came in Philadelphia, and Kay’s brother was on hand for that game.
“It’s a special night for Kay,” the story of the homecoming goes—whether you read it as destiny or nerves.
Kay also acknowledged the difference between the old and the new landmarks. “There was just so much history at the old one, obviously,” he said. “Both are really amazing ballparks in their own way. I didn’t get a chance to play at that one, but it’s been fun to play at this one.”
Sox outfielder Randal Grichuk is also experiencing a kind of return, even if it doesn’t carry the same weight of growing up under the same roof. Grichuk started the season with the Yankees and played in 16 games before being released May 1. The Sox signed him May 4.
“I haven’t seen that before or been a part of that,” Grichuk said. “I always loved playing here. The energy, the vibes, the stadium, everything’s great. I have a bunch of good friendships built in a short period of time over there. It’s great to come back and see some of those guys.”
Those connections include left-hander Max Fried, who is out with a bruised elbow, utilityman Amed Rosario, and bench coach Brad Ausmus.
But Grichuk’s role with the Yankees never settled into consistent at-bats. He wasn’t in the lineup consistently there and never even pinch-hit. With the Sox. his production has come quicker and more regularly: he has already almost doubled the at-bats he had with the Yankees. along with six homers and 17 RBI. With the Yankees, he had no homers and two RBI.
Grichuk tied that shift directly to opportunity. “Being able to get consistent at-bats,” he said of the difference. “We could be up or down six in the eighth or ninth. and it could be that last at-bat — a lefty against a lefty — and we still pull the trigger. I’m preparing to get in there because I know I’m going to get in there.”.
He also described the reasoning he received in New York: “The Yankees had a loaded bench, and I wasn’t first on the totem pole. I understood. . . . They said they needed players on the bench to have more flexibility. I totally got it. It’s business. It’s part of the game.”
A shoulder injury has also shaped the Sox’ recent rotation plans. Left-hander Hagen Smith, the Sox’ No. 4-ranked prospect by MLB.com, has a shoulder impingement. He will be shut down for two weeks, then ramp back up for two weeks before resuming game action.
Third baseman Miguel Vargas is set to appear on MLB Network’s “MLB Central” around 11 a.m. Wednesday. The network’s studios are in nearby Secaucus, New Jersey.
The Sox rookie right fielder Braden Montgomery appeared Monday.
Game and schedule notes add another layer to Wednesday’s baseball atmosphere. Fox picked up the Sox’ game Aug. 8 against the Guardians, with first pitch scheduled for 6:15 p.m. That same day, Ozzie Guillen’s No. 13 will be retired.
There’s also a quieter reminder that teams can move in unexpected ways even during stretches of familiarity. The Sox signed Dominguez to be their closer, but they don’t always use him that way.
And around the South Side, players have been leaning into the idea that winning doesn’t have to feel shocking. Shortstop Colson Montgomery said. “I think you should stop thinking of this as a surprise just because we’re consistently winning [and] we’re consistently in every game. ” adding that “those days are kind of over.”.
That mindset sits alongside more recent performance markers inside the lineup. After slugging Meidroth at a .320 clip last season, Meidroth is up to .402, and his six home runs already have exceeded the five he hit last season.
If it wasn’t obvious before this Sox homestand that things were different on the South Side, the swing of recent games between teams on the road has only made the change harder to ignore. Between the Braves and Dodgers, they came through and lost four of five.
Wednesday’s start puts Kay’s childhood loyalty and present-day craft on the same stage, at a ballpark he once visited as a fan. Now it’s his turn to pitch there, with family watching from the seats he once treated as distant history.
Anthony Kay White Sox Yankees Yankee Stadium homecoming start Randal Grichuk Long Island MLB