Soto eclipse: Juan, Volpe shade Fish
Pitchers are usually off limits to reporters before a start, but Nestor Cortes found himself in a casually chatty mood before his outing against the Marlins.
Like a lot of other Yankees, the southpaw veered from his usual pregame routine so he could get a glimpse of the total solar eclipse that passed through New York on Monday afternoon. With special safety glasses hanging from their faces, Cortes, Gerrit Cole, Juan Soto, Gleyber Torres, Aaron Boone, Matt Blake and numerous other players, coaches and front office members could be seen staring at the sun when the Yankees would have normally been taking batting practice.
“I think it’s cool to go see,” Boone said before the Yankees beat the Marlins, 7-0, in only 121 minutes. “I’m gonna go from here and look at 3:25 p.m. and check it out.”
The Yankees and Marlins were originally supposed to play at 2:05 p.m. on Monday, but the eclipse pushed the game back to 6:05 p.m. A source told the Daily News the adjustment was made out of precaution and safety.
The Yankees gave away eclipse-themed t-shirts to the first 15,000 fans to arrive. Glasses were not on the promotional schedule, though safety awareness videos featuring NASA astronauts played on the Jumbotron.
With gates opening at 3 p.m., fans filed into Yankee Stadium for a unique ballpark experience while apropos songs like Manfred Mann’s version of Bruce Springsteen’s “Blinded by the Light” played. The Yankees later used Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” for their daily “80s In The 8th” inning segment.
While all the personnel seen on the field appeared to avoid direct contact with the sun, Cortes and Cole both jokingly agreed: Tommy Kahnle would have been the Yankee most likely to look at the eclipse without the necessary eyewear. However, the reliever, behind in his throwing program, is not with the team in New York.
“We can’t be on the field for BP and that stuff from 2:10-4:40 p.m. I know that,” Boone said. “I don’t know if that’s advice or a mandate. Obviously, (excitement has) grown a little bit here as we’ve gotten glasses, and guys are interested in going to see it.”
Batting practice didn’t appear necessary, though, as the Yankees did most of their damage against Miami’s Jesús Luzardo in the fourth inning.
Anthony Volpe started the scoring with a three-run homer, a pull shot to left field for his second longball of the season. The second-year shortstop is now hitting an MLB-best .417.
“In so many ways, hitting is so contagious,” Volpe said, shouting out those who got on in front of him. “I think it just stacks on top of each other.”
A few batters after Volpe’s jack, Soto crushed his second dinger of the year and first as a Yankee in the Bronx. Another three-run blast, the homer carried well over the right-field wall.
A protective lens no longer needed, Soto gazed toward the sky as the ball made its way into the stands. Unsure if the ball would go foul, Soto relied on the fans before rounding the bases.
“Just amazing how the crowd reacted. It was really cool. They really surprised me with that one,” Soto said. “I know I hit it pretty good. I was doubting it. I was kind of like, ‘Is it gonna go? Is it gonna stay?’ But when that ball landed and they just jumped out of their seats, it felt pretty good.”
Volpe and Soto’s bombs overshadowed Cortes, who delivered his best start of the season.
The first inning gave him trouble in his first two outings, but Cortes cruised against the one-win Marlins. “I knew the bullpen was a little taxed,” he said.
Already 9-2, the Yanks have matched their best 11game start in franchise history.