The Yankees and their fans paid tribute to Miller Gardner, the late son of former outfielder Brett Gardner, during Thursday’s Opening Day at Yankee Stadium.
Miller Gardner, 14, died on March 21 after falling ill on a family vacation in Costa Rica. The cause of death has not been determined.
The team held a moment of silence before the game in which public address announcer Paul Olden praised Miller’s “outgoing and feisty personality and warm and loving nature.”
The Bleacher Creatures ended their first-inning Roll Call – in which the rightfield fans chant the names off Yankees defensive players and the players acknowledge the fans with a stylized gesture – by chanting the name “Miller Gardner.”
Individual fans at the game either dusted off their old Brett Gardner No. 11 jerseys or repurposed their nameless Anthony Volpe No. 11 jerseys as a tribute to Miller.
“Brett Gardner’s been my favorite player for as long as I can remember,” said Martin Torres, 26, of Nutley, New Jersey, who wore a No. 11 jersey with Brett Gardner’s last name on the back. “Tragic. My heart goes out to him. I can’t imagine. I have kids of my own. I can’t imagine losing one.”
“It’s been devastating,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said before the game. “I mean, as much as the excitement of today, there’s no question we’ll be playing with heavy hearts today, and throughout the year, and playing with Miller in mind. Especially us coming back home to New York, getting to see (Boone’s daughter) Bella, who had a relationship with their boys, to see how it impacts your kids.”
Brett Gardner spent his entire 14-year career with the Yankees from 2008-21 and was a part of their 2009 World Series-winning team. A speedy outfielder, Gardner earned legions of fans for his fiery, gritty play – traits he apparently passed on to Miller.
“Miller,” Olden said, “grew up in the Yankees organization and had become a two-sport athlete wearing his father’s No. 11 on his football jersey. The entire Yankees organization grieves this unimaginable loss with Brett, his wife Jessica and their son Hunter. Miles Gardner was just 14 years old.”
Brett Gardner has not appeared at Yankee Stadium since he last played. The team invited him to last year’s Old-Timers’ Day as the event honored the 2009 champions. But Gardner did not come because he had to attend one of his son’s football games.
“I talk to our guys a lot about perspective,” Boone said. “While this matters so much to us, right? — it’s our livelihood, we pour so much into this, so many people care about it — it’s baseball. I really think it’s important that we reflect on that every now and then, when we get consumed with this, whether we’re flying high, whether we’re going through some tough moments. Like, man, there’s a lot more important things going on. So we will take the field with heavy hearts today with Miller on our minds and certainly the Gardner family on our minds.”
Many fans also had the Gardners on their minds as they filed into Yankee Stadium on a chilly day for what was otherwise a party-type atmosphere as another baseball season got underway.
“Brett Gardner was one of my favorite players growing up,” said Michael Genito, 21, of Albany, who wore a No. 11 jersey to the game. “I recently bought an 11 jersey for Volpe not having a name on it. When I heard the news, I realized that it would also be a good way to honor the Gardner family.”
Kevin Felten, a 20-year-old from East Rutherford, N.J., also sported a nameless No. 11 jersey.
“I saw Gardner, obviously, what happened last week,” Felten said. “Figured I’d represent, show some support. Yankee family. That’s what it’s all about. It’s sad. It’s tragic. Doing whatever I can to support.”
The Yankees announced Miller’s death on Sunday during a spring training game. The team included a statement from Brett and Jessica Gardner that read, in part: “We have so many questions and so few answers at this point, but we do know that he passed away peacefully.”
