The New York Yankees are the hottest team in baseball. They were 42-41 on July 5, but since July 6, their 30-11 record is the best in the Majors. They have won each of their past nine series, and are now 72-52, an amazing 20 games above .500 for the first time in 2021, and firing on all cylinders.
‘It’s a lot of fun,†first baseman Luke Voit said to MLB.com. “This lineup is clicking, and the boys are rolling.†Voit, injured for most of the season with knee and oblique issues, is finally healthy and raking. He is just one of several hot Yankees’ hitters.
Giancarlo Stanton said that the key for the Yankees’ improved offensive output is patience. Plate discipline, which is not chasing bad pitches and picking the good ones to put excellent swings on it, is paying off big time during the recent hot stretch.
“We’re just having great at-bats, top to bottom,†Stanton said. “The biggest factor has been wearing down the opposing pitcher. If we’ve got a lot of guys not chasing and forcing them to come into the zone, try to be more precise, they’re just going to make more mistakes. I think that’s what we’ve been doing.â€
The Yankees’ have increased the quality of their at-bats
“Hopefully that’s what we can start to do more and more — the weight of the lineup, the quality of the at-bats up and down,†said Yankees manager Aaron Boone. “You’re not always going to break through the first time or the second time in a given game. But the more we can have those quality at-bats time and time again, you give yourself a chance to break through and have a big inning.â€
During their current, ongoing nine-game winning streak, the Yankees have scored 50 runs, or 5.55 per game. It may not seem like a lot, but it is, and they have faced some great pitching. The number is a marked improvement over the first couple of months of the season.
Voit, Stanton, Aaron Judge, Joey Gallo, Anthony Rizzo, Rougned Odor, and even Andrew Velazquez have been huge as of late. And the Yankees will welcome back Gio Urshela and Gleyber Torres soon.
Good times are ahead.