мÓƶà¶à¿ª½±¼Ç¼

Locastro and the Arizona Diamondbacks opened a two-game series against the Yankees. It's the first time as a pro that the Auburn native has played in his home state.

"It's crazy. My whole career, I've been on the West Coast," Locastro said before Tuesday's game. "I think this year when we went to Toronto was the first time being on the East Coast. Besides that, the closest I've been is Lansing, Michigan."

A 2013 draft pick, Locastro began his career in the Toronto Blue Jays' organization. He played in Bluefield, West Virginia, Lansing and Vancouver before he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2015.

With the Dodgers, he played with clubs in Rancho Cucamonga, California, Tulsa, Oklahoma and Oklahoma City. He was called up by the Dodgers in 2017 and played his first major league games in Colorado.

In 2018, he played 18 games with the Dodgers. The closest he came to playing near his hometown was an appearance against the Reds in Cincinnati.

After the 2018 season, Locastro was designated for assignment by the Dodgers and traded to the Yankees. His family and friends — many of whom are Yankees fans — were excited that he may get a chance to play on the East Coast. However, in January, he was designated for assignment by the Yankees and traded to the Diamondbacks.

Locastro has made the most of his opportunities with the Diamondbacks this season. In 58 games, including 29 starts, he's hitting .254 with a .362 on-base percentage. He has scored 23 runs, driven in 14 runs and stolen nine bases.

Most of those games, though, have been played in the western U.S. He was with the Diamondbacks for the aforementioned series against the Toronto Blue Jays in June. He started every game of three-game series and had three hits, including a bases-clearing triple.

While Locastro wasn't in the starting lineup Tuesday, he relished the opportunity for his family and friends to potentially see him play at an earlier hour.

"Just being in the Eastern time zone, it's nice for my parents," he said. "They don't have to stay up until 1 a.m. to watch the end of a game, so it's exciting."

More than 50 people from the Auburn area, including Locastro's parents Colleen and Tim Sr., will attend one or both of the games. A group of 25 friends was at the game Tuesday. A similarly large group will be at the ballpark for Wednesday's game, a 1 p.m. match-up. 

Locastro acknowledged the show of support from his hometown. He also knows that many if not all of the people who made the trip are Yankee fans.

"They're going to be rooting for the Yankees — unless I get into the game. I know that," Locastro said with a smile.

As Locastro warmed up with his teammates, Tim Sr. stood on the warning track and watched his son play catch, field fly balls and take some swings in batting practice.

For the player's father, it was a proud moment.

"Twenty years ago, I brought him here to Yankee Stadium and now I'm watching him play here," he said. ​