Tyler Austin goes opposite field off Gio González to put the Yanks on the board. pic.twitter.com/ySX0XsK7yq
— Bronx Bomber Ball (@BronxBomberBall) May 16, 2018
Stone Cold Tyler Austin is back! The first baseman breaks out in a big way with an opposite-field shot to bring the New York Yankees within one.
The talk of the town was going to be Bryce Harper vs. the power hitters in Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. Well, that talk has changed during this New York Yankees-Washington Nationals contest.
This time, the subject is Tyler Austin and the reaction is “WOW!” With the Yankees trailing 3-0 in the top of the fourth, Austin took advantage of a hanging curveball and blasted it into the right field seats.
That two-run shot came on the heels of a Nationals error that allowed Didi Gregorius to reach. Austin reached out and made them pay for that mistake dearly.
The 26-year-old first baseman is filling in for Greg Bird, who is recovering from foot surgery earlier this year. Right now, he’s making a case to stay in that lineup, even as the Bird returns to the nest.
This marks Austin’s sixth home run of the season. His last blast came back on April 25 in the Bronx against the Minnesota Twins.
For Gio Gonzalez, this is only the second home run he’s allowed in eight starts.
But it isn’t just Austin’s offense that is making waves. He is opening eyes with his defense, including a diving catch this past week and a great scoop to help save a low Miguel Andujar throw and get the out in the bottom of the fourth of tonight’s game.
Austin, who has been in a recent skid, hopefully has gotten some confidence back for his next at-bat. He was also one of a few Yankees who were out early for some more batting practice, according to Bryan Hoch. Apparently, it’s worked, at least for that at-bat.
With that swing, he drew the Yankees closer and got his first home run for the month of May. That’s a win-win in my opinion.
