http:\/\/www.bozemandailychronicle.com offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.\n <\/p>\n
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) \u2014 After qualifying for the AL Division Series, the New York Yankees had a difficult time getting there.<\/p>\n
Plane problems caused a switch of airports that prevented the Yankees from landing at Tampa International Airport until 1 a.m. Friday.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe drove further away from Tampa and then we worked our way closer back to Tampa, and then we flew to Tampa,\u201d Yankees Game 1 starter Gerrit Cole said ahead on Saturday’s opener of the best-of-five series against the Rays.<\/p>\n
The team arrived at Westchester County Airport, north of New York City, about 2:30 p.m. Thursday for a charter flight. The Yankees wound up going by bus about 30 miles (48 kilometers) to LaGuardia Airport, near the New York Mets\u2019 Citi Field in Queens. Their charter flight departed about 10 p.m.<\/p>\n
\u201cHydraulics issue. Didn\u2019t have a tall enough ladder to fix it,\u201d Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. \u201cI offered to go get my ladder at home. Declined.\u201d<\/p>\n
Players and staff sat on the original plane for more than five hours.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust hung out, cards, conversations,\u201d Cole said. \u201cRibbing each other, video games, doom scrolling.\u201d<\/p>\n
Boone said some players did prep work for the Rays delay.<\/p>\n
\u201cI walked through the fuselage at some point just to see how spirits were. Everyone seemed fine,\u201d Boone said. \u201cThey had the AC going for the most part. It was a beautiful night out in Westchester. \u201d<\/p>\n
Some players watched the NL Wild Series game between Atlanta and Philadelphia, others the NFL game between Cleveland and Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou eat. You ask the people working on it, are they doing the right things?\u201d Boone said. \u201cBanter, and have some fun with the flight attendants, telling them let\u2019s step it up a little bit. Let\u2019s get it going. You know, all those things. Everyone handled it well. It was fine.\u201d<\/p>\n