Urshela’s gems wow teammates
SAN DIEGO — Gerrit Cole turned to his right, a stunned look on his face, pointed his glove at third base and said what everyone watching across the country was thinking: Wow! Even the guys who have seen it up close every day are amazed by what the Yankees’ third baseman can do defensively.
Monday, in the Yankees’ 9-3 win over the Rays in Game 1 of the American League Division Series, Urshela made two of those “wow plays” — in one inning.
“Hewas just showing off in that inning,” Cole said with a laugh.
The first was Manuel Margot’s high chopper that bounced about two feet over Urshela’s head. He leapt straight up, glove in the air to grab it and fired a strike to get Margot at first.
That got Cole’s point and “wow,” but maybe the best was yet to come.
With Urshela playing in on the grass, Joey Wendle shot a grounder to the hole between third and shortstop. Urshela, however, dove over and back, grabbing the ball and throwing the Rays second baseman out from the seat of his pants.
“He’s so good. He’s so good over there,” Yankees manager and
former major league third baseman Aaron Boone said. “I mean there are probably three really good plays he made tonight. He’s a lot of fun to watch, the way he plays the position... Play the game the way he plays it — with his kind of joy that’s infectious.”
Urshela may play with an infectious joy, but his victims often end up slamming their helmets down in frustration.
Last week, it was Carlos Santana, who thought he had a rallying RBI on his grounder to the left side in the eighth inning of Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series. Instead, Urshela made the stop and started the inning-end
ing, game-saving double play. As Urshela laughed at the play, Sanatana slammed his helmet down in frustration.
Monday night, Urshela shrugged it off.
“I just react to the ball,” Urshela said to MLB Network after the game. “Every single day I’m trying to keep working. I gotta continue to move the feet, to keep the throw on the chest of the first baseman.”
But Urshela isn’t just doing it with his glove. The 28-yearold went 2-for-5 Monday night, continuing his hot streak. Urshela went 3-for-9 with a grand slam and 5 RBI in the two games of the ALWCS.