Paul Blackburn was sitting in front of his new locker in the Yankees’ clubhouse before Thursday night’s series opener against the Red Sox at the Stadium.

In theory, it would have been a smooth trip to the Bronx for the former Met, who was designated for assignment last Saturday and released earlier this week before signing with the Yankees on Thursday. Reality played out differently.

Blackburn returned home to Idaho last Sunday. He received the call from the Yankees on Tuesday and was supposed to join the team in Tampa on Wednesday. Mother Nature had other thoughts.

“I was coming from Idaho,” said Blackburn, who was available to pitch out of the bullpen Thursday night. “Flew into Dallas yesterday . . . We were rerouted to Amarillo [Texas] because of thunderstorms. Sat there for 3 1/2

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