On Monday, the New York Yankees barely squeaked out the win against the Texas Rangers, driving in just one run. If not for stellar pitching from Nestor Cortes, the Bombers may have found themselves on the other side of the win column.
However, in the 6th inning of the game, it looked like some of the Yankee players ran out of gas following a tough double-header on Sunday. Third baseman Josh Donaldson hit a ground ball to shortstop, which Corey Seager bobbled. Donaldson had already cashed in and jogged with his head down to first base. He might’ve been able to beat out the throw if he was a bit more aggressive with his running.
“I think anytime you get caught slowing down, you know right away,” Boone said, per the NY Post. “There’s times you have to say something. DJ’s wasn’t an issue because it was inconsequential. … But Donaldson probably took his eye off it for a second. With some of our guys, the gait is important and making sure we’re running with the right gait. But I think any time you make a mistake, usually you know it. Now and then you gotta say something. I have not said something yet.”
Donaldson has been performing well lately, though, hitting .220 with two homers and seven RBIs. In fact, Donaldson is currently on a 10-game hitting streak while also contributing six walks during that time span. He has struck out eight times, showcasing more hits than strikeouts.
“What I love about it is he’s grinding right now and getting on base a ton,” Boone said before the game. “Getting some big hits here and there. I think a sign of a great hitter, when you’re kind of grinding through it and you’re having this level of getting on base and mixing in your hits, when it clicks, he’s one of those guys who can carry you for stretches at a time.”
In the month of May, Donaldson is hitting .273 with a .678 OPS. While Boone did notice he wasn’t giving maximum effort, I think he’s going to let him slide just this once based on his recent performance.