Why Yankees’ bullpen door was open, allowing for bizarre play

Why was the outfield door leading to the bullpen at Citi Field open when Aaron Hicks hit a double through it on Saturday?

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NEW YORK — It was one of the weirdest plays of the season, but it’ll probably get lost in the Yankees‘ 4-3 win over the Mets at Citi Field on Saturday.

Aaron Hicks‘ line drive to right-center field to lead off the game bounced and should have hit the wall, giving him a chance at a triple.

Instead, two improbable things happen:

1) It went straight for the bullpen door.

2) The bullpen door was open.

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As the ball skipped center fielder Michael Conforto, he watched it roll into the Yankees’ bullpen. He threw up his hand as if to signal it was out of the play and he continued walking into the bullpen to grab the ball.

Umpires stopped Hicks at second base.

Why was it open in the first place? Yankees reliever Chasen Shreve said he wasn’t sure who had opened it last, but that typically there’s a stadium security guard at the door who watches over it and the bullpen.

None of the Yankees’ relievers were in the bullpen at the time. Guess who else wasn’t in the bullpen: the security guard. Shreve said there wasn’t a guard there all game, either. Shreve said the guard was there during the Yankees’ win on Friday and every other time Shreve has been to Queens.

After the play, Conforto closed the door and Yankees bullpen coach Mike Harkey came out and made sure it stayed that way.

Manager Aaron Boone said he didn’t know why it happened.

“That’s a good question,” he said, smiling. “Did you get an answer on that? Yeah, um. We’ll make sure it’s secure (Sunday) when we head out there.

Brendan Kuty may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.