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It’s the Yankees. Twenty-seven championships. Significant payroll. Lots of stars.
They can’t be the underdogs because of this story, these dollars, this galaxy. But at the right time of the 2021 season, they found an outsider spirit. Their contributions come from Junkyard and Scranton as much as from the top of the list; in part because they had a team that could capture NL East on the injured list.
They won a game on Sunday with a pitching team made up of Nestor Cortes Jr. at the start and Wandy Peralta at the close and a midfielder from Stephen Ridings, Jonathan Loaisiga and Lucas Luetge. Imagine if you were told in March that the Yanks would win a critical game in August with this quintet.
They won a game on Sunday with Rougned Odor and Luke Voit – underrated and unemployed after the trade deadline – delivering the biggest hits, two-run homers that opened and completed the Yankees’ scoring.
They won a game on Sunday because Andrew Velazquez, inserted as a defensive substitute in the court in the ninth, “came out of nowhere” in Aaron Boone’s words to turn what could have been a devastating single bloop from Jake. Lamb in the only release that Luetge has recorded. A lot of Yankees heroes are coming out of nowhere these days.
They won 5-3 as they have won many times in recent times, causing their fans to be agitated until the last pitch. But they won. They also do a lot now. They improved to be the best players tied (with San Francisco) 23-11 since July 6. That span includes four “I can’t believe they lost” games – two against the Red Sox, one against the Astros and Thursday night in the middle of the Iowa Corn at the White Sox.
Still, the Yankees have found the ability to absorb the worst losses and come out of the canvas. They returned to Chicago to take the last two from the White Sox. This Field of Nightmares loss was their only one in six games this year against the runaway leaders AL Central. The Yanks have won 10 of 11 series. And they are healthier.
Gerrit Cole is expected to return from a COVID absence to start Monday against the Angels and Jordan Montgomery to start one of two games on Tuesday amid a vital three-game streak against Boston. Anthony Rizzo and Gary Sanchez seem close and perhaps Aroldis Chapman and Domingo German as well.
The Yankees are getting close at all, but they should remember the hole they were in; Remember they came within 2 / ₂ of the games of the two jokers, Boston and Oakland, not just relying on names or stars or what should happen.
“We did a really good job of guys coming in and holding the fort,” Cortes said.
No one was more surprisingly important than Cortes. He’s doing a left-handed version of what Aaron Small did out of nowhere for the shaken 2005 Yankees. Cortes is like one of those inflatable dancers who flutter around at big store openings. It leans this way and that, changing the angles and speeds of the arms and body – as Voit mentioned, hitting just about every mph between 70 and 90. In a high speed age, Cortes delivers to the priceless Yankees sleeves a variety of things, jerky delivery and the confidence of a rock star.
The White Sox, deep into the right-handed mash, have been the MLB’s top 35-11 for the past two years when an opponent starts a southpaw. But Cortes has reached career highs in innings (six), throws (98) and tied his best with seven strikeouts. It was all essential with the Yankees pen injured, exhausted or in the no-confidence zone.
The Yanks, meanwhile, produced three runs in the second inning and allowed Chicago starter Lucas Giolito to distribute 101 pitches in four innings. But the Yanks also put the men in scoring position every inning from first to eighth and were 0 for 12 with 10 strikeouts. Joey Gallo, a hero on Saturday, struck out all four batters with runners in scoring position. From a single to a Voit out of third through eighth, the Yankees went 0 for 18 overall and did not add to their lead despite six walks, a White Sox error, with one batter hitting first on one. batting ball, two wild pitches and a stolen base.
But Voit hit a two-run homer in the ninth to make it 5-1. It’s the 2021 Yanks, however. They can’t just win easily. Luetge was bad, allowing three of the four White Sox to reach the ninth – his only result produced by the Velazquez game. Peralta, who is emerging as a team’s most reliable southpaw with Chapman, Zack Britton and first-half revelation Luetge, caused a late-game double play with tied points on the based.
“We learn a lot about others,” Boone said.
The Yankees, of all things, find an outsider spirit.
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