Yankees fans excited for Opening Day in the Bronx

The New York Yankees are set to open the 121st season in franchise history against the San Francisco Giants. 

Pre-game ceremonies begin at 12:30 p.m. with the introduction of both teams on the baselines, and the first pitch is set for 1:05 p.m.

Joining the Yankees lineup for the first time will be Watchung, New Jersey native Anthony Volpe. Raised only about 30 miles west of the Bronx, Volpe grew up a Yankees fan and, more specifically, a Derek Jeter fan. 

“There was some sort of clinic in New York City, where a bunch of Yankees were at. I think, Tino Martinez, Jeter. When we finally got there, I was so shy and crying that I wouldn’t go out on to the field. I was like balling, crying. I don’t know if you can see in the picture, but I field a groundball and I just run off to go see my mom. Apparently [Jeter] grabbed me and made me high-five him,” Volpe told CBS2’s Steve Overmyer. 

Bruce Shatel coached Volpe when he was in high school — just three years ago. At the age of 21, he is the youngest shortstop since Jeter. 

“It’s New York and people are going to make that comparison but time will tell, and there is a lot of baseball ahead of Anthony to see if he can fill those shoes,” Shatel said. 

With the team’s first game Thursday, you may notice a few other things happening differently this season. 

Pitchers will now have 15 seconds to throw a pitch, 20 seconds when a runner is on base, and batters must be ready to hit by the time the clock reaches eight seconds. 

Another big change is the infield shift is no longer allowed, which means two players must be on each side of the infield. 

The bases are also getting bigger by three inches. 

“Which is great, because I hate getting home at 11-o-clock at night,” one fan told CBS2. 

The MLB commissioner said the chances were the result of reaching out to fans and realizing they wanted to see games with better pace and more action.