Another week, another edition of the Lit Six for the New York Yankees. This time, however, they gave impressive showings on the road.
On the road again! The New York Yankees took their show on the road when they visited Camden Yards and Globe Life Park this past week. Not only did they bring their A-game, they also enter the second full week of September with two crucial series victories under their belts.
Stunning the Baltimore Orioles in their home park for the first victory there since 2013 and shutting down the hot offense of the Wild Card-contending Texas Rangers, the Yankees are definitely all for protecting their playoff bid.
Along the way, the Yankees put up quite a few runs via the home run, as well as quite a few with timely hitting with runners in scoring position…yes, really!
This week, picking the Lit Six was a challenge, as there was a plethora of stellar plays to choose from. However, we narrowed it down to the absolute greatest plays we witnessed from the Bombers this week.
Take a gander! Show off to your friends! This is the year the Yankees will be heading back to October baseball, especially with these spectacular plays being made on a daily basis.
6. Diving into the Weekend Like
Jacoby Ellsbury has been living up to his contract hype as of late. His hot hitting coupled with the injury to Aaron Hicks has earned him his rightful spot back in center field.
However, his defense has been keeping him there. Luis Severino on the mound, bottom of the first inning and a sinking Elvis Andrus liner. Good thing Ellsbury was there to save the day.
Ellsbury sprinted over to right center to make a stellar grab on Andrus’ liner to end the inning for Sevy, who only threw seven pitches that inning.
And that game resulted in a 3-1 victory in favor of the Bombers. Letting that one hit go by could have made the game a completely different story.
5. Frazier’s Laser
Remember when there was a time where Chase Headley was our starting third baseman? Now Todd Frazier has taken over the reins and seems to be doing just fine over there in the hot corner.
Prime example right here. Frazier fields the ball practically in the outfield grass and throws an absolute laser to Greg Bird to nab the speedy Adam Jones.
With the Yankees down 3-0 at this point, it seems unimportant. However, any time the Yankees make a great play, it means something.
Glad to see there’s a third baseman who is reliable, despite how hot Headley’s bat is. Maybe we could combine the two? You know, just for the benefit of the Yankees and all that.
4. Take that Home Run out for a Drink!
Didi Gregorius hit 20 home runs last year. Let’s get that number up to 21, a career-high for the young shortstop.
Gregorius launched his solo shot in the top of the third inning on Friday night before the bullpen before Masahiro Tanaka and the bullpen suffered a complete meltdown.
So No. 21 for Gregorius. That home runs also marks the first time that a Yankees shortstop has hit 20 or more home runs in back-to-back seasons. Ever. In history.
Sir Didi, we salute you. Nay, we fall to our knees in your presence. Who knew that this would come from Gregorius when we first picked him up in a three-team trade.
3. Judge’s 40th Home Run
Home run no. 40 gave the Yankees a 9-1 lead over the Rangers in the fourth inning on Sunday but it also put him in some pretty great company.
His opposite field shot wasn’t one of his usual blasts but it was enough to put his total for 40 on the season. He added 41 just a few innings later with a home run to center.
He is the youngest Yankee to have 4 multi-homer games in a season since Roger Maris (1960), according to stat guru Katie Sharp. He is the first Yankee to have a 40-home run season since 2012 (Curtis Granderson). What a feat for a rookie.
This is history, people. We are witnessing incredible history in watching Aaron Judge every day. Breathe it in, ladies and gentlemen. We won’t see anything else like this.
2. Castro’s Crazy Stop
Starlin Castro has been on a tear at the plate since his return from the DL. However, his fielding has also been missed just as much.
Castro ranged to his left and went full body to nab a sharp grounder from Rougned Odor. Now we know that he can hit hard…we saw it last year. Like Michael Kay said, just ask Jose Bautista.
Castro stopped the ball from sneaking into right field and made an off-balance throw to get the out.
Sometimes Castro’s defense can be mind-numbingly frustrating. Other times, he makes absolutely miraculous plays like this. You never know what you’re going to get with Castro on the field but most times, it’ll be good.
1. The Hits Just Keep Coming
The great thing about this week’s Wild Card battles was that the offense was absolutely on fire. Perhaps their best offensive game came on Thursday afternoon at Camden Yards.
In their 9-1 victory, the Yankees belted four home runs. That included an opposite field blast from Judge, a two-run shot from Headley, a Castro bomb and a barely-gone shot from Frazier.
So many different types of players providing a home run en route to crushing the Orioles? I’ll take that any day of the week.
What an impressive showing by the offense, which resulted in a series win in enemy territory. All in a day’s work for the Yankees!
So, like I said before, another week, another impressive showing from the Yankees. As the playoffs loom closer, expected these top plays to get even better for the Yankees.
