RALLY STARS
Bombers establishing identity of a team that will never quit, use all ‘27 outs’ every game
Marcus Stroman was not the first Yankees starter to say it this season, but the sentiment rang just as true on Wednesday in Toronto as it did during the season-opening series in Houston.
“Early on in the game, there’s a priority on limiting damage and doing as much as I can to keep the team in the game,” Stroman said. “I feel like this lineup’s so potent, they can explode at any time. … I feel like we’re never out of it.”
Stroman did his part, limiting the Blue Jays to just two runs across 5 ¹/₃ innings by getting out of some early jams.
By the end of the game, the Yankees lineup delivered on its end once again.
Facing a three-run deficit entering the eighth inning, the Yankees turned in another lategame comeback, this one resulting in a 6-4 win that helped them avoid a sweep at Rogers Centre.
“I think it’s just the confidence in each other,” said Aaron Judge, who came through with the goahead two-run single in the fourrun ninth inning. “We look around this room every single day in this clubhouse and there’s a lot of dawgs, like [Alex Verdugo] says, in here. Guys that don’t quit, have good at-bats all the way to the end. Guys coming out of the bullpen giving us big outs. I think it’s just confidence in each other that if you don’t get the job done, the guy behind me will.”
The dramatic win marked the Yankees’ sixth comeback victory of the season, accounting for almost half of their 13 wins overall as they open a homestand on Friday against the Rays.
It is still early, but the Yankees are trying to establish an identity of being a team that uses all 27 outs and puts up a fight in every game, whether or not it results in a win.
“We have the whole confidence [in being able to come back],” said Juan Soto, who played a huge role in Wednesday’s win by going 3-for-3 with a double, home run and two walks. “We’re grinding every day. We’re playing 27 outs and that’s all that matters. I have really good confidence in this team. We all know what kind of players we have, so I trust every single one of them.”
Of course, having a deep lineup helps. Even without all of their big hitters firing consistently, there are no easy parts of their lineup for opposing pitchers to get through, especially with Verdugo batting seventh most nights and Oswaldo Cabrera swinging a hot bat out of the eight- or nine-hole.
For the most part, the Yankees have done well in driving up opposing starters’ pitch counts to not allow them to go deep into games, leading to taking advantage of teams’ bullpens.
“It goes to show what kind of team we have,” said Jose Trevino, who came off the bench to provide the game-tying single Wednesday. “I think Verdugo said it: we’re a bunch of dawgs, man. We just want to give our team the best chance to win, whether that’s in the first inning or in the ninth inning or in extras, whenever that is.”
Even if they don’t come back to win every game, at least making things interesting or close late can pay off over the course of a series. That played out against the Blue Jays, when they lost 3-1 on Monday night and then cut a late 5-1 deficit to 5-4 in Tuesday’s loss, which forced high-leverage reliever Yimi Garcia to pitch in both games.
By Wednesday, Garcia was not available to pitch in the late innings (plus Chad Green was dealing with shoulder soreness) as the Yankees instead got to Erik Swanson and Tim Mayza in the ninth inning.
“Just a purpose, competitiveness, a feeling that we’re not out of it,” manager Aaron Boone said before Wednesday’s win. “[Tuesday] night, fall behind, scratch our way back in and give ourselves a chance to tie or win a game there in the ninth. It’s been a common theme, whether we’ve won a game or lost. I like the intent and the focus of the group.”