No Pricey Ticket, No Pregame Autographs at New Yankee Stadium

Those empty seats near the field at the new Yankee Stadium are likely to remain unfilled — especially during batting practice.

Yankees chief operating officer Lonn Trost said Tuesday no changes were planned to the policy preventing fans with tickets in other parts of the stadium from getting close to the field during BP. Seats in the first nine rows, called the Legends Suite, cost $500 to $2,625.

“If you purchase a suite, do you want somebody in your suite?” Trost said Tuesday. “If you purchase a home, do you want somebody in your home?”

Because of the way the new stadium is structured, it is virtually impossible for fans to get player autographs unless they purchase tickets costing at least $500.

Trost says it’s too early to tell whether changes announced by the Yankees between the first and second homestands will eliminate all the empty seats near the field during games. After seeing rows of empty seats — even entire sections — during the first homestand, the Yankees cut the price of 116 of 258 front-row seats from $2,500 to $1,250 when bought as part of season plans. They also are giving free tickets to those with season plans for seats that cost $325 or more a game.

Although there were more people in those sections during the second homestand, the areas closest to the field were largely the emptiest, with the cheaper sections filled.

“I’m never satisfied with anything. Every day we look at it and analyze it,” Trost said. “Could you really tell what’s taken place in two homestands with 90 percent of them in rain? I can’t.”