The 2019 Yankees could have taken Wednesday off. They almost did. But for this version of the team, there is no such thing as complacency…
The 2019 Yankees had their bags packed and ready to go. Atop the American League East by a comfortable margin, their plane bound for London was fueled and waiting. Only one game against the Blue Jays separated the team from a six-day respite away from the grind of a baseball regular season, intermixed with some business too and the two games with the Red Sox.
A perfect time to take the day off with no one particularly paying attention to your absence. Perhaps in that spirit, Yankees starter James Paxton surrendered five runs in the first two innings. The Blue Jays looked ready to tack on more.
Instead, the 2019 Yankees revealed their true colors once again. Three runs here, two more there, and not so suddenly the team held a slim lead going into the top of the ninth. With closer Aroldis Chapman officially having the day off, Zach Britton came on to nail it down for the home team.
He did not, leaving these 2019 Yankees one more chance to fold the tent. But complacency is not a word in their vocabulary – and the game’s box score tells the rest of the story. Or, better yet, here’s a recap of the game.
The 2019 Yankees: A Story Of Resiliency And Depth
Resilient and deep in talent, the 2019 Yankees are one of a kind when compared to teams of the past.
Composed of two retreads from other teams in Luke Voit and Gio Urshela, a beleaguered “get rid of him” All-Star catcher in Gary Sanchez, a pitcher scheduled for knee replacement in CC Sabathia, and two sidelined superstars, Aaron Judge, and Giancarlo Stanton – going into today’s play, the team leads the formidable Tampa Bay by 6.5 games and the wishful-thinking Red Sox by a full nine games.
They said it couldn’t be done, and at the time, they were probably right. After all, the World Champion Red Sox could never be as bad as their 6-9 start to the season indicated. Surely, they would bounce back, even without a bullpen speak of.
Who knew then DJ LeMahieu’s name would appear as the league’s leading hitter? Who knew Voit’s promising finish to the 2018 season was only a hint as to what was coming?
Who knew Gleyber Torres would have nineteen home runs by the end of June, delivering clutch hits like he did yesterday to warrant a Gatorade bath. (Photo Above)
Who could believe Urshela would transfer himself into a .300 hitter, almost overnight? Who could predict the 2019 Yankees would barely miss a beat in losing the ace of their staff, Luis Severino? And finally, who could believe Aaron Boone would be virtually flawless in devising lineups that took into account the fleet of All-Stars missing from the team?
The 2019 Yankees knew. The 25 players assembled in the clubhouse on any given day, that’s who knew and that’s all that mattered.
A half-season does not make a World Championship, no matter how good a team appears to be. Fittingly though, the 2019 Yankees have now taken over the Number One spot in MLB’s Power Rankings for this week. Gary Sanchez is the runaway choice as the catcher for the AL All-Star team.
Urshela, Voit, LeMahieu, Torres, and Judge are in the race as well, with the final vote tallies and announcements scheduled for tonight at 7 p.m. EST on ESPN. Polls are open until 4 p.m. EST today. You can cast your ballot here.
No longer is the “Bleacher Bums” rollcall at all home games filled by imposters substituting for the “real Yankees” on the IL. Urshela, LeMahieu, and Voit are household names now for fans of the 2019 Yankees.
Complacency? Hell, no. Not this team. Gleyber Torres helped make the trip across the pond today a bit more bearable when he stroked that game-winning come from behind hit yesterday.
But for this team, you can believe that if it hadn’t been Torres, any one of the eight other batters in the lineup would have done the same.
The 2019 Yankees Take A Break – Let’s Do The Same
Like the 2019 Yankees, it’s time for all of us to take a few days away from the grind of the regular season to see what this thing in London is all about. You can get acclimated to a few tidbits and oddities, including game times, by visiting this link.
Who will be the first Yankee to have his picture taken standing under Big Ben? Will Brett Gardner lead a team of four players mimicking the walk the Beatles took across Abbey Road? Who will win the scheduled race between Winston Churchhill, the Loch Ness Monster, Freddie Mercury, and Henry VIII? And will the two Princes give interviews pretending they know something about America’s Pastime?
The rivalry moves to London. Let’s enjoy the fun.
Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. Not all holes, or games, are created equal.
