Yankees’ Clint Frazier played the hero twice: ‘We needed that’

The New York Yankees won a back-and-forth affair with the Tampa Bay Rays, largely thanks to outfielder Clint Frazier. The redheaded slugger player the hero in two different occasions yesterday, and without him, the Bombers probably would have lost their fifth straight game.

Most fans will remember his walk-off, two-run home run to send everybody home with the Yankees coming out on top 5-3. His 11^th-inning blast made sure the Bombers take at least one game from the pesky Rays.

“It’s a feeling that I’m sure that I won’t forget, just because of what we’ve been going through as a team and what I’ve been going through individually,” Frazier told MLB.com. “We needed that win. We’ve got to build off of it, show up tomorrow and try to get another ‘W’ that’s a little bit easier than that one.”

The Yankees badly needed a win

Frustrations were starting to appear in the Yankees dugout in the past few days, but Frazier, at least for a day, was there to save his team.

“We needed that,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Some better things across the board — not close to where we need to be, but it was an important day today to pull that one out, and a great AB there by Fraz to finish it off.”

In the eighth inning, Frazier had been the hero, as well, but with the glove. With Chad Green on the mound and runners on base, Joey Wendle hit a weak fly ball that threatened to fall between Frazier and second baseman Rougned Odor, but the former raced and made a diving, run-saving catch.

“I’ve really worked hard at my defense and tried to make it something that people can’t talk about for the wrong reasons anymore,” Frazier said. “That was a big play for me. Rougie and I were in a unique situation going at it, but I’m the one coming in on the ball. I’m just glad that the ball was able to stick in my glove.”