The Yankees wet their lips last night as they powered their way past the Twins last night, but it’s still a blessing in disguise.
Yankees starter Gerrit Cole was treated to a rare outbreak in the offense highlighted by two home runs from Giancarlo Stanton and another from his alter-ego in pinstripes, Aaron Judge. And still another from Miguel Andujar (his fifth_.
In translation, it was an easy win over the Minnesota Twins.
Yankees: Is The Glass Now Half Full?
Now, should we celebrate thinking and hoping the Bronx Bombers are back, and this is the beginning of something big that returns the Yankees to their advertised stature as the most feared team in the league?
Or is it an aberration that whets the appetite for more, only to see the Yankees offense melt away over the next few games while having to compete against real major league pitching when hits are rare much less, home runs?
I mention this because the Minnesota Twins currently rank 26th out of 30 major league teams in pitching, with a gaudy 4.89 ERA contributing to their cellar status in the AL Central Division.
Feast, while you can, is the best approach, I guess, but know that Zack Wheeler is on tap this weekend when the Yankees travel to Philadelphia.
Yankees: Was Last Night A Mirage
Teams adjust to whoever the pitcher is on any given night, or at least they should because that’s been one of the Yankees’ biggest problems this year as a team built to live and die by the home run.
It’s cancer that spreads quickly and, in some sense, can’t be avoided because if I’m Giancarlo Stanton, I think I’ve got my swing back, so let ‘er rip, regardless of the situation when I stride to the plate.
A man on second with no one out? Screw it; I can drive him home with a bomb, rather than approaching my at-bat with one and only one goal in mind – move him over to third!
So, aside from the much-deserved light-hearted camaraderie, the Yankees will enjoy on their flight to Philadelphia, will some element of levity prevail as they absorb the sobering thought that games like the one they just had, are few and far between with the team they have this year?
I looked but could not find the last time Judge and Stanton homered in the same game, but I did find that on April 4, 2018, Judge, Stanton, and Gary Sanchez all homered in the same game, replete with the headline from CBS Sports that the feat was “the first of what should be many times yet to come.”
By now, we should know better.
Catching That Long-Ball Spirit
Listening to the game on SiriusXM because the telecast is blacked out by MLB where I live, there is a lilt in the voices of John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman as the runs keep piling up for the Yankees, a rarity for Ma and Pa as they’ve labored through a season in which the “bombers” are managing less than four runs a game.
Hey, you bet I’m catching the spirit too – how can you not when in addition to the home runs, Brett Gardner has three hits, Kyle Higashioka and Gio Urshela both have two hits, and Gerrit Cole can leave the game after easing through six innings for his seventh win of the year?
Don’t get me wrong. If last night’s game is indeed the awakening of the Bronx Bombers, then it’s Katie bar the door for the rest of the league, and it’s time to watch in awe as the Yankees become the team they were supposed to be, as predicted in nearly all offseason rankings.
Call me a naysayer if you will, but I’m sticking to my guns in saying the odds do not favor a team like the Yankees who live and die by the home run, versus teams like Tampa Bay and the Red Sox who can play the game either way and have a knack for situational hitting.
And just for he-haws, take a look at the Box Score from the game and note that the Yankees were still 1-8 with runners in scoring position with all the power.
Just saying…we’re not out of the woods yet.
Here’s What Readers Are Saying…
Jim Kulhawy It’s the Twins, they have always been the Yankees’ punching bag. Wanna impress me? Do it against the A.L. East, where we have a HORRIBLE record.
Sal Presti The 8 Game Road Trip JUST may be what the ” Doctor Ordered “.
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.
