Old and new have kept the Yankees in race
Veterans A-Rod, Teixeira, minor-league callups have all made contributions
NEW YORK— Armed with their tradedeadline reinforcements, the Blue Jays rampaged through the month of August, catching up to and eclipsing the New York Yankees for first in the American League East on Aug. 12. But even as the Jays continued their second-half surge, they struggled to distance themselves from their deep-pocketed division rival.
The two teams haven’t been separated by more than two games in the standings in more than a month, despite the Jays going 20-7 over that stretch.
The Yankees’ success is confounding, given how they have suffered injuries to key players and underperformance in their starting rotation. New York has had 22 different players serve time on the disabled list this season, compared to just eight for the Jays. And yet, they remain neckand-neck.
Here’s a look at how they’ve done it.
RESURGENT VETERANS
Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira, 40 and 35 years old respectively, have led the way offensively for the Yankees this season, combining for 61 home runs and 158 runs batted in. But 31-year-old catcher Brian McCann is also enjoying a strong bounce-back season after an underachieving inaugural campaign in New York. McCann leads all catchers with 25 home runs and trails only Buster Posey in wins above replacement (WAR).
Still, the most improbable story of the Yankees season has to be A-Rod, who, after missing all of 2014 due to suspension and three-quarters of 2013 due to injury, has remarkably returned as one of baseball’s top offensive threats.
Most pundits had written off the notorious slugger, who in addition to his unprecedented yearlong suspension for steroid use, had also been hampered by hip surgery. But he quickly quieted his critics and re- gained the admiration of fans in New York with his revival this season.
This is Rodriguez’s first 30-homerun season since 2010 and — though, Major League Baseball would never allow him to actually receive the award — he should be named comeback player of the year. But with Teixeira now potentially out for the remainder of the season, it remains to be seen what his long-term absence does to the Yankees’ offence.
BULLPEN ACES
The Yankees bullpen has thrown more innings than any other contending team’s and it is anchored by the fearsome duo of Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller, two of the top relievers in baseball.
With the Yankees’ rotation mostly mediocre, Betances and Miller have arguably been the team’s most valuable pitchers. They rank 1-2 in strikeout percentage in the American League: Betances has whiffed 39.9 per cent of batters this season, compared to Miller’s 38.5 per cent, while they both have ERAs under 2.00.
Betances and Miller are the reason the Yankees are a perfect 72-0 when leading after eight innings this season and have lost just twice when leading after the sixth or seventh.
ROAD WARRIORS
While New York’s lefty-heavy lineup is custom built for Yankee Stadium and its short porch in right field, the Yankees have also been strong on the road this year, posting the majors’ fifth-best winning percentage. They also have the league’s second-best run differential on the road.
That’s part of what prevented them from going on extended losing streaks and falling too far behind the Jays, who earlier this season had among the worst road records in baseball and still own a sub-.500 mark away from the Rogers Centre.
DEPTH
With every injury the Yankees have suffered to a key player this season, it seemed there was a polished prospect or capable veteran ready to take his place.
The latest example is rookie first baseman Greg Bird, who has stepped in for Teixeira without missing a beat, hitting five home runs in his first 24 career games. Similarly, 21year-old rookie right-hander Luis Severino stepped into the Yankees’ rotation about a month ago and has quickly become their best starter, posting a 2.04 ERA in six starts.
Add those upstart performances to the likes of stalwart depth pieces like Chris Young, who has 14 homers off the bench as the team’s fourth outfielder, or swingman Adam Warren, who has a 3.29 ERA over a careerhigh 115 innings, and you have the makings of a club built to withstand injuries. Even a player like Brendan Ryan, who doesn’t add much with his bat but is a Gold Glove infielder, has chipped in for New York this season.