#Yankees’ ability to rally without fans can’t be understated

For nine of their 11 years at the new Yankee Stadium, the Yankees have led the American League in home attendance. They typically pace the junior circuit in road gate, as well, to the extent that Yankees visits to Tropicana Field — or Oriole Park at Camden Yards, when the O’s stink — sound like guided pinstriped tours.

So when Aaron Boone posited on Monday, as the Yankees closed out their exhibition schedule with a 2-2 tie against Joe Girardi’s Phillies, that “I expect us to hopefully use (empty stands) to our advantage,” it prompted the “Thinking person” emoji.

The Yankees’ manager just might be right, however. His club of pretty experienced guys, albeit many of them still on the younger side, appears well-equipped to handle a workplace without instant, real-time feedback. Let’s face it, a group of players whose best player of 2019 is nicknamed “The Machine” should be able to function well amidst egregiously fake fan noise — and you really could feel the lack of energy here on Monday night.

“It’s going to be important to be able to fire yourself up and be able to create your own energy,” James Paxton said, “and I think that this veteran group here really understands what we need to bring to the table and how we need to create that for ourselves going into games.”

“I think there’s going to be teams at times, I think there’s going to be individuals at times, that it doesn’t affect in a negative way, not having those fans,” Boone said. “And I feel like that’s one of those battles, one of those edges, that we need to be able to gain. We need to be able to find that energy every day. Not have that be a distraction. I feel like it will inevitably be at times for teams and players. We need to take advantage of that.”

It brought to mind something Boone’s non-immediate predecessor Buck Showalter said to me a few weeks ago: “Someone with a ‘Look at me’ mentality after a home run, they’re not going to have anybody responding to it. … Teams that depend on emotion every night, it’s not going to play.” I asked Boone if that’s what he meant or if he viewed the situation as more nuanced than that.

“Not necessarily. I think it’s definitely more complex than that,” Boone responded. “But I could see scenarios where you’re playing a team that’s going through a tough time or struggling a little bit and obviously there’s not that normal crowd there. There’s not that normal motivation. And that can’t be an excuse. It’s got to be something that we use to our advantage.”

Giancarlo Stanton rejected my theory that his time with the Marlins, who placed last in National League attendance for seven of his eight years in Miami, would better prepare him for these 2020 circumstances. Explained the slugger: “This is a little more unique than that, I’d say, with having fan sounds on the speakers and whatnot and just pretty unique overall. But in general, it is going to be a different type of edge that you’ve got to bring to the table. Some guys get fueled off the fans. Some guys, it doesn’t matter. And you’re going to see the difference. And you’re going to have to lock it in regardless because that’s the case.”

Sure, the Yankees employ their share of high-energy players, from Brett Gardner to Luke Voit to Clint Frazier. More of them, though — none more than DJ “The Machine” LeMahieu — behave like self-starters.

On Thursday night at Nationals Park, the Yankees and their new ace Gerrit Cole will kick off this coronavirus-shortened season against the defending champion Nats, with universally respected medical guru Anthony Fauci throwing out the ceremonial first pitch. If you can’t get jazzed up for that, fans or no fans, then maybe you should pursue a higher-intensity endeavor like heli-skiing.

“That is unfortunate that we can’t have fans,” Stanton said. “But the intensity and the style of play is still the best in the world.”

Can the Yankees successfully redirect their intensity while maintaining their style of play? It could just decide whether they get to hold a virtual parade in November.