NEW YORK — The first difference about Robinson Cano is the facial hair and the second difference is the corner locker inside the visiting clubhouse at Yankee Stadium.
Cano didn’t circle the date on his calendar, but his return to New York after nine years as a Yankee was a chance for him to thank the fans. Cano used the forum of an interview with Jimmy Fallon on the Tonight Show on Monday and a pregame press conference on Tuesday.
“That was a lot of fun,” Cano said. “I had fun with it. Those are things that I had a great experience. I know I’m not a Yankee anymore but I have to understand the fans. They’re not going to cheer for you here, they’re going to boo you because you’re on the opposite team.”
Two things Cano would prefer not to discuss is how he joined Jay-Z’s Roc Nation sports agency, a branch of Creative Artists Agency, or why he said he felt disrespected by the Yankees, who made him an offer of seven years, $175 million.
“I know you tried that one,” said Cano, in response to the final question about being disrespected. “I don’t want to disrespect you, but I said earlier I don’t want to talk about the past. I already talked about that. I said what I had to say.”
Cano is 25 games into his 10-year, $240 million deal with the Mariners and like he did on the Yankees, he is playing every day. In his return to New York, he heard mostly boos at every turn, including a brief chant of “You Sold Out” while in the field in the first inning. He finished 1-for-5 in Tuesday’s 6-3 win over the Yankees.