Carrie Bradshaw in a Yankees cap. It’s an image that feels a little bit wrong but also perfectly right. If you’re a die-hard fan, you know exactly which episode I’m talking about. We’re going back to Season 2, Episode 1, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." It aired in 1999. Think about that for a second. Over two decades ago, and we’re still talking about the Sex and the City baseball connection because it captured a very specific, raw moment in Carrie’s life: the "post-Big" hangover.
She’s miserable. Big has moved to Paris, or is about to, and her heart is basically a piece of gum stuck to the bottom of a Manolo. So what do the girls do? They take her to Yankee Stadium. It’s classic New York therapy. The smell of hot dogs, the roar of the crowd, and the hope that a change of scenery might actually stop the chest pains of a breakup. It didn't quite work that way, but it gave us one of the most memorable guest spots in the show's history.
The New Yankee in Town
Enter Joe. Or, as the credits call him, "The New Yankee."
He was played by Mark Devine. He wasn't a real baseball player, but he looked the part. Tall, athletic, and possessed that kind of "all-American" charm that was supposed to be the literal antithesis of Mr. Big’s brooding, jazz-club-dwelling, cigar-smoking complexity. When Carrie catches a foul ball—well, okay, it lands near her and she grabs it—it sets up this meet-cute that feels like it’s out of a completely different show.
Honestly, the Sex and the City baseball scene at the stadium is iconic because it’s so awkward. Carrie is trying to be "sporty." She’s wearing this little outfit that is definitely not stadium-appropriate, and she’s trying to flirt with a professional athlete while her friends are basically scouting the dugout for potential husbands. Miranda, being the only one who actually understands the game, is frustrated. Samantha is looking for a physical specimen. Charlotte is just... there.
Why the "Rebound" Plot Line Hits Different
The whole point of the baseball player was to prove a theory. Can you get over the "Big" guy with a "New" guy?
Carrie tries. She really does. She goes on a date with Joe. They go to a fancy party. He’s nice. He’s sweet. He’s incredibly handsome in that way that makes you feel like you’re dating a statue. But the problem—and this is where the writing in Season 2 was just elite—is that he isn’t Big. Every time Joe does something "nice," it just reminds Carrie of what she’s missing. It’s the classic rebound trap.
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People forget that this episode wasn't just about sports. It was about the realization that grief isn't linear. You can’t just plug a professional athlete into the hole left by a toxic financier and expect the engine to start running again.
The Realism of the Stadium Scenes
What’s funny is how the show handled the actual baseball. It wasn't exactly Moneyball. The focus was entirely on the social hierarchy of the stands. Being in the "good seats." Being seen. For a show that basically treated Manhattan as a fifth character, the Yankees were a necessary inclusion. You can’t claim to own New York City without acknowledging the pinstripes.
Interestingly, the production actually filmed at the old Yankee Stadium. This was the House that Ruth Built, before it was demolished and replaced. For sports historians who happen to love 90s fashion, those wide shots of the stadium are a total time capsule. You see the old blue seats, the specific lighting, and that gritty late-90s Bronx energy that just doesn't exist in the same way today.
Mark Devine and the "What If" Factor
Mark Devine, the actor who played Joe, became a bit of a "whatever happened to him?" figure for the fandom. He didn't become a massive superstar, but for one week in 1999, he was the most envied man on television. He represented the "healthy" choice.
In the episode, he eventually realizes Carrie isn't over her ex. There’s that moment at the party where she sees Big with another woman (or thinks about him, the trauma is palpable), and Joe basically gets ghosted while standing right in front of her. It’s painful to watch. He was a "good guy." But in the world of Sex and the City baseball, the good guys usually finish last because the protagonists are addicted to the chaos of the "wrong" guys.
The Fashion of the Bronx
Let's talk about the clothes. Carrie at a baseball game is a masterclass in "I’m trying too hard but I look great."
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- The fur-trimmed coat.
- The tight tank tops.
- The heels.
In 2026, we call this "eclectic grandpa" or "sporty chic," but back then, it was just Carrie being Carrie. She didn't own a jersey. She didn't want to fit in. She wanted to be the most interesting thing in the bleachers. Contrast that with Miranda, who actually wore a hat and looked like she was there to watch the score. It highlighted the character archetypes perfectly. Miranda is logic; Carrie is emotion.
Misconceptions About the Episode
One thing people get wrong is thinking this was a multi-episode arc. It wasn't. Joe was gone by the time the credits rolled on episode one. He was a plot device. A very handsome, 6'2" plot device.
Another misconception? That the Yankees were actually involved in the script. While the show filmed at the stadium and used the branding, it wasn't a "partnership" in the way modern shows do brand integrations. It felt more organic. It was just New York life. If you lived in the Upper East Side in 1999 and you were rich and bored, you went to a Yankees game. That was the law.
The Cultural Legacy of the "New Yankee"
Why do we still search for Sex and the City baseball today?
It’s because everyone has had a "Joe." Everyone has tried to date the "perfect on paper" person to forget the "disaster in person" human who broke their heart. The episode is a cautionary tale. It tells us that you can't use people as medicine. Even if that person is a professional athlete who treats you like a queen.
It’s also one of the few times the show stepped outside of its comfort zone of midtown bars and downtown clubs. Putting the girls in the Bronx felt like a fish-out-of-water story, even though they were only a few miles from home. It showed the vastness of the city. It showed that even in a crowd of 50,000 people, you can feel completely alone if you’re still pining for someone who isn't there.
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The Script's Sharpest Edge
The dialogue in this episode was particularly biting. This was the era of the "soul mate" vs. "stand-in" debate.
"Maybe some women aren't meant to be tamed. Maybe they need to run free until they find someone just as wild to run with them."
That’s the voiceover that defines the series, but the baseball episode provided the counterpoint. It asked: "What if you just want to be normal?" Joe was normal. Baseball is normal. It’s the American pastime. But Carrie Bradshaw was never interested in the pastime; she was interested in the passion.
What You Can Learn from Carrie’s Night at the Stadium
If you're going through a breakup and thinking about hitting up a "New Yankee" of your own, take a page out of this 1999 playbook.
- Check your "ready" meter. If you're still talking about your ex at a baseball game, you're not ready to date a pitcher. Or anyone else.
- Dress for the occasion. Actually, ignore this. Carrie’s outfit was fire. If you want to wear a fur coat to a stadium, do it. Life is short.
- Don't ruin it for your friends. Miranda actually wanted to watch the game. Carrie’s drama distracted the whole group. Don't be the friend who makes the seventh-inning stretch all about your emotional trauma.
- The "Rebound" is a tool, not a solution. Use the distraction for what it is—a distraction. Don't expect it to be the wedding at the end of the movie.
The Sex and the City baseball episode remains a staple because it’s relatable. It’s about the messy, non-glamorous side of moving on. It’s about realizing that sometimes, a foul ball is just a foul ball, and a handsome guy is just a guy, and you’re still going to go home and cry over the person who didn't choose you.
It’s dark, it’s funny, and it’s quintessentially New York. Whether you're a sports fan or a shoe fan, that 22-minute slice of television captures a feeling that hasn't changed in thirty years.
To really understand the impact, you have to look at how the show evolved after this. This was the moment Carrie stopped being a "victim" of Big’s departure and started trying to reclaim her identity. She failed in this specific episode, sure, but the attempt was the point. The "New Yankee" was the first step on a very long, very winding road back to herself. Or back to Big. Depending on how you feel about the series finale.
Practical Next Steps for Fans:
- Re-watch Season 2, Episode 1 to see the old Yankee Stadium in all its glory before the 2009 move.
- Look for the subtle "pinstripe" fashion influences in the later seasons; the show often called back to this "sporty" attempt in Carrie's wardrobe.
- If you're in NYC, visit the site of the old stadium (now Heritage Field) to see where the filming actually took place.