Baseball: Indoor cage is big-leaguers' inner sanctum
NEW YORK — The hypnotic sound reverberated down the tunnel, spilling through the doors of the clubhouse in a drum-like rhythm.
It was the sound of Carlos Beltran's bat meeting ball, of the crisp, controlled explosion resulting when wood connects with leather.
He stood on a green-carpeted floor inside mesh netting, surrounded by dozens of scattered baseballs. And there Beltran awaited another underhand flip in one of the most sacred spaces in a major league ballpark: the indoor batting cage.
"It's kind of like their office," Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long said. "It's where they're going to get right."
The concrete chamber deep in the bowels of Yankee Stadium is where hits are made and slumps are snapped. It is where big league hitters congregate, hidden from the intrusive eyes of reporters and the eager pleas of autograph-seeking fans.
In the privacy of the indoor cage — every ballpark has one — they share tips and suggestions. They fraternize. And they hone the craft that got them to the major leagues.
"It is a special place for us," said Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Carl Crawford. "It's you and the hitting coach just talking about hitting and working on your swing.
"It is sort of a bonding place."
The inner sanctum serves as a major league hitter's safe space, under the watchful eye of the batting coach. It holds a special meaning for the Yankees and Mets this season, with both struggling to produce runs. Entering Friday, the Yankees ranked 20th (4.0 per game) and the Mets 23rd (3.9) in runs scored.
"It's basically a hitting fraternity back there where you're just throwing ideas around, talking about hitting," said David Wright, the Mets seven-time All-Star. "There are no pitchers around. There's no reporters."
The indoor batting cage is part science lab and part artist's studio.
It is where hitters fine-tune their swings, adjust their stances and perfect their timing through a series of drills.
They take swings from a tee. They take cuts from soft-toss flips. And they strive to repeat their mechanics to eliminate bad habits and burn correct technique into their muscle memory.
"That's where you want to stay away from slumps, stay away from getting into bad habits," Long said.
The cage is also where pinch hitters warm up before a crucial at-bat.
It is a far different world from on-field batting practice.
During "BP," players, coaches and reporters mill around. They mingle. They joke.
Sure, hitters make a few cursory attempts at bunting on the field and push an opposite-field grounder or two. But the real goal is to put on a show, home-run derby style.