The New York Yankees may have played .500 ball, but some of their 44 wins certainly were exhilarating, to say the least.
No, it was not the best half for the 27-time world champion New York Yankees.
In all of major league baseball, their runs scored ranked 24, their home run total ranked 20, their total earned run average ranked 19 along with finding themselves 7.5 games out of first place in the American League East.
Additionally, they sit 5.5 games out of a Wild Card spot and must jump over six teams in just over two months in order to secure a spot in the postseason.
Things just aren’t great in Yankee land but we did witness some great moments during the very few flashes of brilliance that came from the 2016 New York Yankees thus far.
Let’s take a look back at the best wins for what was an inconsistent first half.
Next: Number Five
5. 4/6/16- Bombers Rout Astros In Second Game Of 2016
This game is a prime example of what the Yankees offense is at its full potential.
New York defeated the Houston Astros in an epic 16-6 slugfest that production from almost every bat. Mark Teixeira sent a 3-run home run into the second deck in the third inning and Carlos Beltran slapped a long solo shot to left in the sixth.
Starlin Castro led the way, however, as he finished the day 4-for-5 with a run scored and five RBI. Three of those five came on a three-run blast to left-center in the bottom of the second.
Michael Pineda, who somehow wound up with the victory surrendered six runs on eight hits including three home runs over five innings of work. Thankfully, his offense bailed him out.
Next: Number Four
4. 5/10/16- Aroldis Chapman Records First Save; Bombers Defeat Defending Champs
This night was a night Yankees’ fans were waiting for. The night the “Three-Headed Monster” is released from its restraints and boy did it seal a big win for New York.
After the Bombers scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth to go ahead 10-7, Aroldis Chapman was called upon for his first save as a member of the New York Yankees.
He had to face Lorenzo Cain, who had already homered three times in the game, to finish off the defending World Series Champions and Chapman got the best of him.
After Cain fought off two-strike pitches clocked at 102, 99 and 100 mph, Chapman initiated a soft popup to Starlin Castro on a 101-mph fastball to tie up a 10-7 victory for the Yankees.
Why was this one of the best wins? The fans were buzzing, flames were blazing across the upper deck, and Chapman displayed the versatility of when a third pitcher combined with the Yankees’ bullpen monster.
If they plan on competing this season, the formula which ends in Chapman lighting up Yankee Stadium in the ninth will have to be used a ton.
Next: Number Three
3. 5/7/16- Ortiz Ejected, Yankees Hold Off Red Sox
For the first time in years, this Yankees-Red Sox game felt like a Yankees-Red Sox game.
With New York leading 3-2 with the bases loaded in the top of the ninth with David Ortiz at the dish, the slugger watched a 3-1 slider from Andrew Miller cross-up catcher Brian McCann who reached almost into the other batters box to grab it.
Home plate umpire Ron Kulpa called it a strike, causing Ortiz to scream “no” a bunch of times before Red Sox manager John Farrell sprinted out of the dugout to hold Ortiz and was immediately ejected.
After things cooled, Ortiz returned to the batters box and took another slider for a called strike three. He then returned to the dugout, threw down his bat, barked some more, and was ejected as well.
Ortiz sprinted back onto the field, yelling at Kulpa while being restrained by his teammates.
The very next batter, Hanley Ramirez, struck out swinging on another one of Miller’s sliders to cap off one of the biggest wins for the Yankees this season.
Sure, Aaron Hicks hit the go-ahead solo blast in the seventh to put New York ahead, but it was the test drama in the ninth that will be remembered from this contest.
Next: Number Two
2. 6/6/16- Bombers Use Three Blasts To Best Angels 5-2
The Yankees seemed like they were about to go down without a fight.
Matt Shoemaker, who had maintained a 1.59 ERA over his previous three starts, held New York scoreless through the first six innings but that all changed after he surrendered back-to-back solo homers to Brian McCann and Starlin Castro with two outs in the seventh to tie the game at two.
Then, in the eighth, Carlos Beltran cranked a two-out, three-run homer off Jose Alvarez in the bottom of the eighth, fueling the Yankees to a 5-2 victory in comeback fashion.
That’s just the power of this offense, to be honest. Sure, the crowd was quiet and Shoemaker was pitching one heck of a game, but the Yankees were able to tie the game with two swings to turn the crowd into a restless one in a span of five minutes.
Then, of course, Chapman would pump up the gas to cap off what was an exhilarating victory for the New York Yankees.
Next: Number One
1. 6/29/16- Bombers Defeat AL’s Best With Ninth Inning Rally
Staring right into their fourth straight loss and what would have been a ten-game fallback in the American League East race, the Yanks pulled a win out of nowhere that could ultimately provide a spark to a dismal 2016 campaign.
Down 7-4 and facing Texas Rangers’ closer Sam Dyson, catcher Brian McCann pounded a tremendous three-run homer into the seats in right to knot the game up at seven after it was foreseen that New York would go down without a fight.
After a Starlin Castro walk, Yankees’ shortstop Didi Gregorius slapped a fastball just over the wall in right to cap off their first win when trailing by five or more runs in the eighth inning or later since May 1, 2009, against the Angels.
To cap it all off, yes, the Yankees could have had a better first half but if you’re looking for drama, some of the 44 wins truly were memorable and this list proves that to be true.
What were some of your favorite moments from this season’s first half? Are there any we left off the list? Let your voice be heard in the comment section below.