The New York Yankees won a huge game last night against the Seattle Mariners. The Bombers found themselves down 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh with two outs and Aaron Judge at the plate.
Judge and Giancarlo Stanton were able to get base hits and up stepped newcomer Joey Gallo. While Gallo hasn’t gotten off to the best start with the Yankees, he had his chance to be the hero last night and he didn’t disappoint.
Gallo hit a towering home run that gave the Yankees a 5-3 lead which they would hold onto. Since the trade deadline last week, Anthony Rizzo has had the spotlight for the Yankees and for good reason. Rizzo has looked like a star both offensively and defensively.
Last night, Gallo was able to join in the fun. Since acquiring Rizzo and Gallo, the Yankees are 6-1. They are now just 1.5 games out of the second wild card and they’re only 4 games behind Boston for the first wild card.
New Vibes
The entire demeanor of this team has changed over the last week. The acquisitions of Rizzo and Gallo have provided a much needed shot in the arm to a team that has had too many punches to the gut all season long.
While the Yankees were dealt some brutal blows this week from positive COVID tests to Gerrit Cole, Jordan Montgomery, and Gary Sanchez, the team has kept pushing forward. For the first time all year, the Yankees find themselves ten games over 500 now at 59-49.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the impact that Rizzo and Gallo have had on the Yankees. It’s not just the performance on the field, but the way they have already become crucial pieces to the morale in the clubhouse.
Anthony Rizzo already looks like a leader on this club and Gallo’s positive energy is contagious. Simply put, the New York Yankees are a different team than they were a week ago in every aspect.
2017 Yankees Feeling
I can’t help but think about the 2017 Yankees when thinking about this year’s team. The Yankees were struggling in July of 2017. The Bombers had a record of 48-44 when the team pulled off their first blockbuster trade of that deadline.
Brian Cashman was able to acquire Todd Frazier, David Robertson, and Tommy Kahnle from the White Sox. Frazier completely changed the vibes in the clubhouse and became somewhat of a team captain the rest of the way.
We all remember the ‘Thumbs Down’ calling card of the 2017 Yankees. That 48-44 team went on to finish 91-71 while making the playoffs. They pushed the trashcan banging Houston Astros to a Game 7 in the ALCS.
Of course, there are glaring differences between the two teams. Aaron Boone is leading this year’s team while Joe Girardi was the manager in 2017. The Yankees also acquired Sonny Gray in 2017 to go along with CC Sabathia, Luis Severino, and Masahiro Tanaka.
From a pitching standpoint, this year’s team is not as good as the 2017 team on paper. However, that doesn’t mean they aren’t capable of going on a serious run themselves just like they 2017 did.
The Yankees are finally riding a wave of momentum right now and fans are feeling much different about this club. If all the pieces come together, the Yankees could still do something special in what was being thought of as a lost 2021 season.