Finally, after a rough stretch in which they lost 15 out of 20 games, including five in a row, the New York Yankees could go home and celebrate last night. For the first time in days, maybe even a couple of weeks, the team can breathe a sigh of relief and start dreaming about stringing a few victories to get out of the recent rut.
After dispatching the Toronto Blue Jays in the series finale 7-2 on Wednesday night, avoiding a sweep to a direct rival in the quest for the playoffs, the Yankees feel like a hot streak is coming in the next few days.
Before the game started, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that his team had been punched in the mouth, a very accurate boxing analogy that described the team’s last 20 games.
But the team, as Mark Feinsand of MLB.com noted, had finally punched back after winning on Wednesday.
“Guys are really grinding hard right now, and for us to really play a complete game in a lot of ways, get a great start from our young pitcher, was huge,†Boone said to Feinsand. “Hopefully this is something that guys can exhale a little bit, go home and really start taking off. I feel like that’s around the corner for us.â€
The Yankees most valuable performers Wednesday
Last night, Deivi Garcia held the Blue Jays hot-hitting offense to two runs in seven frames, Gleyber Torres had a homer and four RBI and DJ LeMahieu also went yard.
The dugout had loud music after the Yankees’ victory. These guys needed something to celebrate and they got it.
“You could hear the music as we were walking off the field; you never want to take that feeling for granted,†Boone said. “We understand the business at hand and how important these games are.â€
“We believe in ourselves,†said Torres. “We just try to play really good and win games. It’s part of baseball — tough games, you lose games. Most important for us is that we focus, be together and work hard.â€
The New York Yankees, now 22-21, will host the Baltimore Orioles in a crucial four-game set, starting today.