The New York Yankees have started the season with an 8-1 record, sweeping the Boston Red Sox over the weekend and taking the first game of a four-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday evening.
Despite players like Gary Sanchez and Gleyber Torres struggling at the plate, the Yankees have managed to dominate with their star power. Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton have dominated, with Judge hitting five home runs in his last six games. He has also had two game-winning homers in the last six days, one against Baltimore and one against Boston.
Of course, we shouldn’t forget about DJ LeMahieu or Gio Urshela. LeMahieu played an integral part in the Yankees’ final win of the series against Boston, driving in Mike Tauchman, who stole second base in the eighth inning. Judge hit a two-run home run immediately after, sending the Yankees home with a victory. LeMahieu is currently hitting .412 with a .618 slugging percentage.
Urshela, on the other hand, is hitting .300 with a .667 slugging percentage. He has three long balls on the year, two 3-run blasts, and one grand slam. Despite his incredible success, Judge leads the team with 14 RBIs.
Nonetheless, while the Yankees’ offense has been dominant, the pitching has struggled at times. The only consistent threat has been Gerrit Cole on the mound. Cole leads the team with 17.2 innings pitched, with the second player being Michael King with just 7.0 innings. So far, in his first Yankee season, he has a 2.55 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, and 8.2 K/9. He has allowed five earned runs and just 10 hits, displaying his dominance and why the Yankees elected to pay him the big bucks.
When I asked about the New York Yankees’ power and how well they have been playing, Cole had just one word.
â€WOW.â€
He went on to continue raving about his defense and cohesion in the lineup.
“The power is there. The communication through the lineup is there. The defense is crisp, and guys are bringing it every night, especially with a lot of unknowns and a lot of uncertainties,†Cole said on a Zoom call from Yankee Stadium on Sunday. “We have certainly started off on the right foot. Very impressive so far.â€
With the Yankees traveling to Philadelphia for a doubleheader on Wednesday, they have a tall task ahead of them. However, they have the talent to get the job done and continue their winning streak after losing the second game of the season to the Washington Nationals.