The New York Yankees today announced that as part of Major League Baseball's initiative to standardize security procedures at all 30 Major League parks for the start of the 2015 season, metal detectors will be added at various entry points at Yankee Stadium beginning on Tuesday, August 19, for the start of the Yankees' upcoming homestand.
These procedures, which result from MLB's continuing work with the Department of Homeland Security to standardize security practices across the game, will be in addition to bag checks that are now uniform throughout MLB.
The Yankees are introducing metal detection at select Stadium entrances this season - before the 2015 mandate - in an effort to acclimate staff and fans to the new procedure. Beginning in 2015, all game-day entrances to Yankee Stadium will follow this protocol.
Due to the enhanced security measures, the Yankees strongly urge all fans to begin budgeting extra time for entry into the ballpark when planning their trip to the Stadium.
"Nothing is more important to us at Yankee Stadium than the safety of the fans we serve," said Yankees Chief Operating Officer Lonn Trost. "To that end, we are committed to the procedures that Major League Baseball and the Department of Homeland Security have asked us to implement. We want our fans to feel safe in Yankee Stadium, and our staff is dedicated to maintaining the highest security standards possible."
Beginning with Tuesday's game vs. Houston, fans will be asked to remove cell phones and all large metal objects from their pockets before walking through metal detectors at select Yankee Stadium entryways. As has been the policy of recent years, all bags will be checked, and only MLB-compliant bags - 16 in. x 16 in. x 8 in. or smaller - will be admitted.
Those who choose not to go through a walk-through metal detector have the option of being manually checked with a hand-held detector.