Tag: baseball

On Friday, June 12, 2026, the AABANY Membership Committee hosted a special behind-the-scenes tour of Yankee Stadium, capped by a discussion with Alan Chang, General Counsel and Senior Vice President of the New York Yankees. The afternoon paired a guided walk-through of one of baseball’s most storied venues along with a conversation with one of its most senior executives. The tour was donated by Chang and the New York Yankees, with all proceeds supporting AABANY’s mission of advancing the interests of the Asian American legal community.

The group gathered at the Office Lobby next to Gate 2 of the stadium, where Gus the tour guide led the way through the Yankees Museum, Monument Park, the visitors’ dugout, and beyond. Gus’s unparalleled passion for baseball helped make decades of history feel immediate and personal. A highlight was the story behind one of baseball’s rarest feats: the perfect game – a game in which all the batters from one team are retired in order, with no one reaching base. Thus far, there have been only 24 perfect games in Major League Baseball history, and the Yankees have thrown more than any other franchise, with four. Gus shared that every Yankees pitcher to throw one shares the same first initial: Don Larsen (1956), David Wells (1998), David Cone (1999), and Domingo Germán (2023). Larsen remains the most famous with the only perfect game in World Series history, sealed on his 97th pitch when he struck out pinch-hitter Dale Mitchell, and catcher Yogi Berra leapt into his arms in one of the sport’s most enduring images.

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The most unexpected moment came at the very end of the tour. After a walk through Yankee Stadium, Gus handed each guest a pair of gloves. At first we were confused, but then Gus explained that we will be given the opportunity to hold some artifacts from Yankees history as part of this special tour. Among them were Aaron Judge’s bat, CC Sabathia’s size-15 cleats, Derek Jeter’s jersey from July 9, 2011 (the day he collected his 3,000th career hit, fittingly with a home run), and perhaps most iconic of all: a game-used bat swung by Babe Ruth himself. For a group that had spent the afternoon learning what made these objects significant, holding them in our hands was a once-in-a-lifetime honor.

The afternoon closed with a sit-down discussion with Alan Chang, who spoke candidly about the path that took him from serving as the Assistant Counsel at ESPN to General Counsel and Senior Vice President of the New York Yankees. He offered the group a look at the legal side of running a major ball club from players’ contracts, intellectual property, labor and player matters, stadium operations, regulatory work, and the range of issues that cross his desk on any given day. Speaking to a room of Asian American attorneys and students hoping to become attorneys one day, Chang reflected on what it has meant to reach that level in an industry where AAPI leadership remains rare, and shared advice for those drawn to sports law. The conversation gave members a window into a career few get to see up close.

The afternoon blended baseball history with a look at the legal career of one of the game’s most prominent executives. AABANY extends its sincere thanks to Alan Chang and the New York Yankees for their generosity in making this unique and memorable event possible. Thanks also to the Membership Committee for helping to put it together.