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NEW YORK – Aaron Hicks, a player his manager calls one of the "most underrated" in baseball, was resting on Saturday afternoon, sitting comfortably in the leather chair in front of his locker.
The race of the American League is over. The key now for bombers: win the first place in wild-card then decide who will launch.
While the Yankees hitter returns to the lineup after a broken wrist, the focus is on the fact that he is ready to play in the playoffs.
With the end of the regular season, time passes through MLB. Atlanta and New York have just made their reservations to join the mix of October.
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The central defender of the New York Yankees was the calm and balanced antithesis of the man the baseball world saw later in the day. Perhaps after his frantic and emotional display of late afternoon, the sub-radar beacon sinks further, and more heads outside the Bronx will turn in his direction. After all, October and his big stage is almost here. It is the time of year when unknown names are suddenly known in homes across America.
"I mean, Aaron, when we really pull back the curtain, he's a great player," said Yankees manager Aaron Boone. "And it was exciting to watch him evolve as one of the very good players in this league."
Although he only hit .249, Hicks also has 26 home runs, 76 RBIs and scored 89 points with an OPS of 0.837. He has been particularly dangerous in the last two games, hitting two homers and scoring five points.
Between the speed of Purdue's separation that Rondale Moore showed on a television he watched, Hicks mocked passersby in the Yankees clubhouse before the New York match against the Baltimore Orioles. A conversation revealed that for what turned out to be the biggest day of the year for him and his team, the 28-year-old had no idea what was at stake.
That was explained: a Yankees win, coupled with a Tampa Bay Rays defeat on Saturday, and the Bronx Bombers would be tied to the playoffs.
Hicks, in his usual way, just nodded and started his day.
Several hours later, after a fight with six innings, the Yankees were not even sure of finishing, Hicks was helping the Yankees hit their post-season ticket with a double RBI.
As Hicks ran on the ankle of the second goal and headed for third base, the Didi Gregorius baserunner slipped safely home. After the fall of the Rays in Toronto, the 3-2 winner clinched the playoff spot in New York, securing him a place in the wild card game of the AHL. It was the first time the Yankees had clinched a playoff spot the same day they made a home run since Alfonso Soriano managed a winning circuit on September 24, 1999. C & # 39; was also Hicks' first kick. a Yankee.
"He's one of the most underrated players in the game," Boone said of Hicks. "And [he] always a little neglected with our club. You understand some of the best players we have, some of the very good players we have.
"But Aaron, his control of the strike zone is about as good as he's out there."
Hicks, who came into play on Saturday, has dominated all of his team's baseball races since the all-star break, and has shown his attention in his 11th decisive run.
After taking a ball first step, he scored 1-2. The next shot he saw, an 83.7-mph slider, hit hard on his left ankle, making a mistake as he tried to outsmart the Orioles reliever Paul Fry.
The bullet hit his ankle so hard that Hicks hit the ground immediately. His bat flew out of his hands. His helmet shook his head. Flat on his belly, Hicks took several moments to try to pull himself together as Boone and athletic trainer Steve Donohue came out to monitor him and help him up.
Stevie was like, "Are you okay after hitting that triple?" Will you be able to run and arrive in third position? ", Told Hicks later.
His answer? "Yeah, I'm going for a jog."
He did not have it As soon as he came into contact with a 2-2 slider at two lengths after blowing his ankle, Hicks started to sprint while he was doubling the line of the field left.
"It was a kind of adrenaline from there," said Hicks.
This adrenaline was spread in the Yankees canoe, where teammates were already coming out.
"By the time Hicks hit, we all shouted:" It's over. It's over "" Aaron Judge said.
At first, Gregorius took off. In second place, Phil Nevin, the coach of the third base, signaled him to return. Did Hicks think his teammate was going to score, though?
"He's getting better, I've hit him all the way, you have to go," said Hicks.
As soon as Gregorius came out of his slide and extended his arms, Hicks toppled a switch. He was calm and did not even do anymore. He pumped his arms. He yelled with excitement. He ran teammates chasing after him and followed Gregorius' lead in celebrating the stunt.
During the celebration on the field, Hicks was trapped amid a group of Yankees. Someone accidentally ripped the silver chain around his neck. Finally, fast-moving Tyler Wade grabbed Hicks, helping open his shirt.
A few minutes later, the celebrations continued at the Yankees club, where Drake and Cardi B. blew loudspeakers to decibel levels, the champagne was shaken and poured, the hugs were shared and the caps were been saved.
Clearly, Hicks now knew he was heading to the playoffs for the second time in a row.
"The goal of spring training is to arrive at this point in the year when you are fighting for something," said Hicks, who reported that X-rays from the post-war match were negative.
The Yankees are well aware of how this fight continues. After enjoying the fun of Saturday, the task of keeping the joker in the Bronx is at hand. With their great lead on the Oakland Athletics just two games away, the Yankees are still in winning territory for the last eight games of the season.
"Every time we have a chance to play in the playoffs, it's a blessing – it's a lot of work, from top to bottom in this organization," said the judge. "But we're not done yet, it's only the first step – we just have to keep working and playing until October."
Maybe a larger number of baseball players will now know at least one relatively unknown player who could make a big difference in keeping the Yankees' playoff dreams alive.
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