Despite up and down play, the New York Yankees are having a winning season so far in 2015, and Aaron Patella Ryan continues to enjoy his work as bat boy for the team.
This is the Spencerport native’s third season in the job, and Aaron says he continues to be grateful and feels fortunate that for him, going to “the office” means heading to Yankee Stadium.
“I have the best boss I will ever have and my co-workers are awesome. I’m happy to be with them,” he says of the Yankees organization. “I’ve had the opportunity to meet a lot of cool people …. stars and movie stars. As a life-long Yankees fan, I never thought I would be here.”
Alex Rodriguez, who sat out the entire 2014 season after being suspended for using performance enhancing drugs, is back in the line-up this year. A-Rod has not been a fan favorite, but his performance so far this season is helping to bring fans around, and Aaron says he has been amazed at A-Rod’s knowledge of the game.
“A-Rod is the smartest person I’ve ever listened to talk about baseball,” Aaron says. “He knows things that would blow you away. I hear him in the dugout talking to and coaching other players and think, ‘wow, I’ve never picked up on what he’s talking about.’”
Aaron describes a game in early May when A-Rod hit home run number 661, surpassing Willie Mays for fourth place on the all-time home run list.
After the home run, Aaron had retrieved the bat for the major league authenticator (since 2001 MLB has used an authentication program to ensure the legitimacy of game-used memorabilia), who realized A-Rod might want to continue to use the bat during the rest of the game.
“Baseball players are superstitious,” Aaron says. “He hit the home run during his second at-bat of the game. In his first at-bat, he technically hit a home run, but was robbed at the wall.”
An outfielder had reached over the wall to catch A-Rod’s first-up hit, Aaron explains. Baseball players don’t like to stop using a bat if it is bringing them luck, he says.
“I brought the bat to him and told him the authenticator thought he might like to keep using it,” Aaron says. A-Rod then spent several moments, “… standing, feeling the bat, looking at it and checking it out. He was struggling to make up his mind. He decided to put it in his locker.”
Aaron also got to see Derek Jeter the first time he retuned to the stadium on May 24 for the retirement of teammate Bernie Williams’ number 51.
“He went around the clubhouse,” Aaron says of Jeter, who retired at the end of last season. “He was smiling when he came up to me. He shook my hand, it was so cool to see him again.”
Derek Jeter gives Aaron a pre-game dap before he took the field for his final home game last season. Provided photo
Aaron also remembers Jeter’s magical last at-bat at Yankee Stadium last September 25, when he hit a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 9th inning to win the game, 6-5 over the Orioles.
Aaron says he was not surprised by the game winning hit because Jeter had always been a clutch moment player.
“I was standing with (first baseman) Mark Teixeira to my right and the ball boy on the other side and I remember saying to myself he was going to do it,” Aaron says. “He had done it his entire career and there was no other way to end his career.” Aaron says it was amazing to be a part of the moment following the hit. “We were jumping up and down and high-fiving. Everyone was going crazy.”
Additionally, Aaron was able to travel with the team to Boston for Jeter’s final series and game. “My boss took me to Boston, it was a pretty cool experience,” Aaron says.
“I do love this job,” he adds. “It’s hard to swallow I might not be doing this next year.” (Aaron has to apply each year for the bat boy job).
He especially loves seeing the camaraderie between the players – the way they interact after a big win, or when they give everyone a fist-dap (fist-pound) before the game.
“It’s fun being around the players,” he says.
Editor’s note: Aaron Patella Ryan is a 2008 graduate of McQuaid Jesuit High School and a 2012 Iona College graduate. He is the son of Westside News Inc. owner Keith Ryan and his wife, Francine, and the brother of Kiri Patella Ryan of Spencerport. When the team is on the road and in the off season, Aaron is employed by Enterprise Rent-A-Car.
