Yankees Hot Corner – There’s so much that can be said about this team

I don’t even know where to start.  The Yankees have had probably the worst luck in many baseball seasons in regards to injuries but they just keep winning.  Tuesday’s comeback win against the Mariners encompasses just how special this rag-tag group of players has been.

To recap the ninth inning (full recap will come in Yankees GBU) there were two heroes in this game.  The Yankees had ample opportunity to chip away at the Mariners’ 4-1 lead and could only muster one run off a wild pitch by Brandon Brennan that scored Brett Gardner in the eighth inning.

The ninth inning starts and Clint Frazier pops up.  Gleyber Torres singles in the ninth to put a runner on base.  Up comes Gio Urshela, who had a crucial error earlier in the game that contributed to the Mariners’ three run lead.  He more than made up for it with this;

Gio. Dude. pic.twitter.com/GsuurbG4I5

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 8, 2019

As soon as the bat hit the ball, Anthony Swarzak (former Yankee reliever) knew the ball was gone.  Urshela crushed it to Death Valley and the Yankees were looking to rally again against Roenis Elias.  Cameron Maybin gets a single to start the rally again.  Brett Gardner strikes out but D.J. Lemahieu, who is the Yankees’ best and most clutch hitter right now, has the game on his bat.

https://twitter.com/Yankees/status/1125960718648475654

Maybin stole second base the at-bat before to get himself in scoring position, and he made a great turn past third base to make it a close play at the plate.  Although the Mariners did everything right, Maybin just eluded the tag and the Yankees win the game 5-4.  What an unprecedented win and what a rally for these young Yankees.

Not enough can be said about Gio Urshela and D.J. Lemahieu so far this season.  Gio Urshela is a career .225 hitter before this season and he’s currently batting .364, showing incredible defense sans tonight and has his most clutch home run of his career.

The only thing you need to read about Lemahieu is this;

DJ LeMahieu is now hitting .500 (14-28) and has 16 RBI with RISP this season

— Katie Sharp (@ktsharp) May 8, 2019

One of the biggest problems with the Yankees over the past few years was their inability to play small ball and win games in ways other than the home run.  Lemahieu has batted .500 with RISP and Maybin’s steal to get in scoring position can’t be overlooked.

The Yankees had no business winning this game but they did so because each and every player willed their way back into this game.  Whether it be the good at-bats to force the Mariners to throw more pitches, thus causing the wild pitch, or the at-bats leading up to the Urshela home run and Lemahieu single, Aaron Boone has this team brimming with confidence.

We knew this team had it in them, but it took some of their heavy hitters to realize this potential.  Aaron Boone deserves all the credit in the world for kind of switching gears and letting the kids play instead of focusing so much on home runs.  The players also deserve a ton of credit for persevering through all these injuries and continuing to win.

The Yankees have now taken the series against the upstart Twins and at worst split the series with the up and coming Mariners.  They aren’t beating up on the bad teams like earlier in the season and they’ve found a way to stay just two games back of the American League East leading Tampa Bay Rays despite the slew of injuries.

Guys you’ve never heard of like Gio Urshela, Thairo Estrada and castaways like Cameron Maybin have done an incredible job of filling in.  When the Yankees are healthy they are one of the best teams in baseball, but when they aren’t they’re one of baseball’s best stories.  What a season so far for the Yankees.  Keep it rolling.