Yankees super utility man Oswaldo Cabrera hasn’t broken out like everyone hoped he would this season. Now that we’re in June, it would seem the young switch-hitter has gone full Pedro Cerrano.
As Meredith Marakovits noted on the YES broadcast, Cabrera now sports a necklace featuring—drumroll please—his grandmother’s tooth.
Oswaldo Cabrera rocking a necklace with his grandmother’s TOOTH 🦷
There’s something you don’t see every day! pic.twitter.com/Uzq1p8qCeL
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) June 14, 2023
Everyone has their own superstitions. Wade Boggs ate chicken before every game. Oliver Perez never touched the first base line between innings. Cerrano had hats for his bats, plus a cigar and rum for Jobu himself.
Grandma Anna’s tooth seemed to help Cabrera in the field. He made his plays there after coming in for Jake Bauers.
Unfortunately, the tooth offered no help at the plate as he struck out on a feeble bunt attempt. Oswaldo Cabrera either made a fatal mistake in what’s been an underwhelming season, or he’s been secretly stealing Jobu’s rum. And we know that stealing Jobu’s rum is VERY bad.
But at the same time, Cabrera came back from a brief assignment to the minors and immediately homered at Dodger Stadium. If he can shorten that switch-hitting swing, there’s a lot of power potential to unlock. Now, factor in the short porch at Yankee Stadium.
Cabrera’s tooth necklace didn’t help him much in Tuesday’s 7-6 win over the Mets, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t have an effect. The top of the Yankees’ lineup, slumping since Aaron Judge’s toe injury, finally came through again. Giancarlo Stanton and DJ LeMahieu each had home runs and every starter registered a hit.
And if Oswaldo Cabrera’s grandmother’s tooth is what gets the Yankees to look like the Yankees again? So be it. Third place and 8.5 games back in the AL East doesn’t fix itself.
The Subway Series continues Wednesday night at 7:10 p.m. ET when Gerrit Cole faces off against former teammate Justin Verlander.
