The New York Yankees needed to at least win one game in the World Series. With their backs against the wall down three games to none entering Tuesday, there was nothing more they could lose.
Austin Wells had a huge performance in Game 4
Rather than the usual heroes carrying the load such as Giancarlo Stanton or Juan Soto, it was the bottom half of the order the came through for the Yankees in a big Game 4 win Tuesday, most notably rookie catcher Austin Wells.
It has been a dreadful postseason for Wells. Entering Game 4, Wells was batting .093 throughout the playoffs and couldn’t get anything going. He was even benched for Jose Trevino in Game 3. However, Wells finally stepped up when the Yankees needed him to, going 2-for-3 with a double and a towering solo home run in the sixth inning to pad New York’s lead to 6-4.
The Yankees would tack on five more runs in the eighth inning to pull away and keep their season alive, winning by a score of 11-4. New York is still in a very dire situation, but with Gerrit Cole taking the mound in Game 5, the odds are in their favor to force a Game 6 and bring the series back to Los Angeles.
The bottom half of the order came through for the Yankees
Wells wasn’t the only cold bat to heat up in Game 4, as shortstop Anthony Volpe found his power stroke by drilling a grand slam in the third inning to give the Yankees a lead that they wouldn’t relinquish. In the first three games of the series, New York had scored a total of just seven runs, but they finally put up a crooked number in a game with no margin for error.
Wells spoke about the spark that the lineup provided in a do-or-die game.
“Honestly, I feel like it only takes one big swing,” Wells said (h/t SNY). The situation that we’re in, I think we just needed to say screw it, go after it and have fun because some guys may never come back to the World Series again.”
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The Yankees need this trend to continue for Wells as they fight to keep their season alive
Wells was one of the biggest revelations for the Yankees during the regular season, earning the cleanup spot in the lineup and quockly becoming a steady force. However, his struggles have seen him drop down to the eighth spot in the order, but he came through when the team needed him to. Now, the Yankees have life.
The hope is that this game can spark his bat to deliver more big at-bats as the Yankees continue to fight to keep their season alive and pull off a historic comeback in the series. Game 5 is Wednesday night at 8:08 P.M.
