The New York Yankees have won eleven consecutive games, something that they hadn’t done since 1985. It has been an incredibly impressive display of skill, determination, and mental toughness, against some tough opponents. Last night’s game against the Atlanta Braves was the perfect example.
Aroldis Chapman allowed a run and left the bases loaded yesterday for Wandy Peralta in a 5-4 game. After a long at-bat against Freddie Freeman, no less, the left-hander hung on and induced a game-ending fly ball to left field.
“Just gutsy,†said Yankees manager Aaron Boone of Peralta to MLB.com. “Freddie’s putting together a tremendous at-bat. [Peralta] keeps filling up the strike zone. Just a classic matchup there. … You know Freddie is going to control the zone, so if he’s out of the zone, it’s probably ball four. And [Peralta] just kept making pitches.â€
“[He’s a] real polished hitter, everybody knows how good he is,†Peralta said through an interpreter. “You just focus and execute pitch by pitch. … If you go in the game, [you have] to have a sense of urgency to get the job done.â€
The Yankees are extremely strong mentally
The Yankees have been excellent in close game this year. They have played 70 games that have been decided by two runs or less, the most in the Majors, and they have an amazing 47-23 record in those contests.
Per MLB.com, since July 1, the Yankees have a 25-5 record (.833 winning percentage) in games decided by three or fewer runs, the highest in the Majors in that period. Before July 1, New York went 28-24 (.538) in those contests: 6-9 in April, 14-5 in May and 8-10 in June.
“I feel like our guys are very comfortable in these close games,†Boone said. “Whether we pull it out, whether we lose one, whatever it may be — I know we’re comfortable and we’re gonna play our game.â€