BURNING UP THE BRONX
BOTH FRAZIERS, SEVERINO KEEP YANKS SCORCHING HOT
Todd Frazier’s first day in the pinstripes was noteworthy. A throng of friends and family came up from his hometown of Toms River, N.J., to see his first home game as a Yankee on Tuesday and he hit into a triple play. His second was quite a bit better.
Frazier hit his first home run Wednesday since joining the Yankees, capping a five-run seventh inning that broke open the 9-5 win over Cincinnati. He hit a 1-1 fastball from left-hander Tony Cingrani and deposited it in the left-field seats. The homer, his 17th of the season, went 388 feet according to Statcast.
It was a true “Stadium moment” for the 31-year-old Frazier, but not his first. There are photographs of him standing next to Derek Jeter at the old Stadium when Frazier and his the 1998 Little League World Series champ teammates were honored.
Frazier, who was acquired with David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle in the July 18 trade with the White Sox, said he tried to absorb everything from his trip around the bases.
“Hopefully time stops a little for you,” Frazier said.
Asked if it could ever compare with his first big league home run in 2011, he replied, “It’s up there. In the pinstripes, hitting a home run on your home turf where you live an hour away? That’s pretty memorable.”
Yankees radio play-by-play man John Sterling called the shot on WFAN by saying ‘ The Todd-father” and “In Todd we trust.” Because he grew up listening to Sterling, Frazier was looking forward to hearing the call.
“That’s pretty sweet,” Frazier said. “I know they had ‘ Downtown Goes Frazier’ for [Clint Frazier]. And I remember Jack Edwards said that about me when I played in the Little League World Series. That’s pretty cool. Another little check mark: one of those thing you can always look back on that a guy of his stature said.”
The home run was everything Frazier wanted it to be, but he didn’t get the baseball back from the fan who collected it.
“That was the unfortunate part,” he said. “I don’t know the whole story but I talked to one of our security guys and it was a little hassle to get it and I’ll leave it at that. I don’t think I am getting it. I wish I did, but it is what it is.”
Frazier knows he was acquired for this playoff race for two reasons — “supply some power and play the defense,” he said — and he is thrilled to have the anticipation of the first home run behind him.
“I’m glad to get that home run out of the way,” he said. “These were two good wins and now we can get into the division
against Tampa Bay.”