New York Yankees Tyler Austin
Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images

Mother Nature did everything in her power to calm the storm that is the New York Yankees but they still managed to get out ahead and play ball!

When it rains, it pours. While this saying doesn’t apply as a metaphor for the New York Yankees, it literally rings true for this team.

After an off day on Monday, Tuesday’s contest in Washington was cut short due to severe storms. Wednesday was cancelled. Thursday was another off day. Friday, baseball resumed for the Yankees.

In a whole week, the Yankees officially got through three and a half games. However, they didn’t even need to play to keep gaining ground in the American League East with some clutch Boston losses.

Although very little baseball was played by the Bombers, they still managed to put together an impressive amount of top plays this week. So, here we go! Take a look at who walks away with the Lit Six title for this week.

6. Sanchez times two

Gary Sanchez is working on getting his groove back. Apparently Sanchez found it in Kansas City on Saturday night, when he launched two home runs en route to an 8-3 victory.

The first shot came in the top of the seventh inning to provide some insurance to the Yankees’ two-run lead. The second came in the top of the ninth to put a cap on the Yankees’ 8-3 victory.

Sanchez’s two home runs capped off a 4-for-5 night from the catcher. He’s getting back into the game, batting .279 in the month of May with a .429 OBP and five home runs. Guess who’s back? Gary Sanchez is.

5. Little Toe can GO!

Didi Gregorius just got two days off in a row. Ronald Torreyes may be making it difficult to get his job back.

Torreyes is not known to have a strong arm but this time, his strength was more than enough to make a great play to rob Drew Butera of an easy single on Sunday afternoon.

The little guy may not get in the game every day, but he makes it worthwhile when he’s written into the lineup. It’s not very frequent but when it happens, we get plays like this.

4. Sonny skies are here again

I don’t care if it was the Kansas City Royals. Sonny Gray threw a gem of a game on Sunday afternoon and it was pure perfection.

Eight innings of work for Gray? One run and four hits? That is a stellar start by anyone, let alone Gray, who struggled to go past five innings of work so far this season.

I think Gray has been holding out on us, waiting to have a breakout year. This might just be it for Sonny Gray. Stay tuned.

3. Major milestone for Stanton

Giancarlo Stanton just came over to the New York Yankees and he’s already racking up the milestones. Stanton earned his 1,000th career hit on a completely uncharacteristic hit.

With a bloop single to right field in between first, second and right, that cheap hit will go down in the record books.

Hey, a hit is a hit! We all know that Stanton can crush a baseball well over 400 feet but we also now know that he also can just clear the infield and still get on base for another Yankee rally.

2. The Inside Man

Aaron Hicks hasn’t been hitting well. The second Clint Frazier comes back up, he starts raking. Also, he’s been using his speed to do so.

Hicks hit yet another inside-the-park home run, his second of the season, against Kansas City. Hicks’ smash was perfectly placed, bouncing off the top of the right field wall and over to right-center field.

So that marks two-inside-the-park homers for Hicks this season. That is absolutely insane. According to Katie Sharp on Twitter, Hicks is the first Yankees player to hit more than one inside-the-park home runs in a season since the legend Mickey Mantle.

1. Everything Tyler Austin

Greg Bird is coming back soon. Who’s that? It’s hard to remember when his current replacement Tyler Austin is leading all rookies in home runs and RBI this season.

Tyler Austin had himself one heck of a week, hitting three home runs in his last three games. Ever since Austin ignited that brawl with the Boston Red Sox, the Yankees have been unstoppable. And yet he keeps going, hitting those home runs just when the Yankees need them most.

I mean, three in three games? That is a wonderful sign to see from your current starting first baseman. That is quite the sight to see moving forward.

MVP of the Week: Tyler Austin

Sure, the sample size is not great for this week. However, Tyler Austin has been raking with his three home runs and rookie stats. It’s hard to believe that he is only a rookie when he’s hitting like a tried and true veteran.

Austin gets the honors this week for simply being present and putting together some great at-bats each time up to the plate.

While it was a shortened week for the boys in pinstripes, it seems like the Yankees have gotten right back on track. A little rain won’t stop these Baby Bombers from going yard in every ballpark they step foot in.

The Yankees have a tough task ahead of them, first heading to Texas to take on the Rangers and then facing the Los Angeles Angels at home. Sure, it’ll be tough but we’ve heard this before. The Yankees seem to be up for the challenge that pops up around every corner.


Allison is just a girl with an enormous passion for the game of baseball and the written word. Based in Upstate New York, her life-long relationship with the New York Yankees is something that she developed through close relationships with her mother and grandfather. An aspiring sports writer, she graduated with a journalism degree and is finding places to share her excitement about the sporting world and how it affects us all.