Holliday gets ‘back’ to business
Joe Girardi insisted sitting Matt Holliday the last two games was merely precautionary.
The slugger, battling lowerback stiffness over the weekend, backed up his manager’s words with his biggest hit in his brief time as a Yankee.
Holliday’s monstrous three-run, third-inning homer off Derek Holland set the tone for Monday’s 7-4 victory over the White Sox, the Yankees eighth in a row and seventh straight at home.
“I could’ve played [on Sunday]. Joe just wanted to make sure everything was 100 percent,” said Holliday, who has dealt with back problems throughout his career. “Just a little tightness. We were a little conservative and cautious with it.”
The move paid off. The Yankees won the games Holliday sat out, and he made an impact on Monday. Holliday’s homer in the lopsided victory, which snapped an 0-for-12 drought, was part of a five-run third inning and by far his biggest hit in his brief Yankees career. Holliday turned around a 2-2, 94-mph fastball at the letters, sending it several rows back in the bleachers in leftcenter field to give the Yankees a 3-0 lead with two outs in the frame.
“Good, it felt good,” Holliday said. “Any time you can help the team get a lead, it feels good.”
The 37-year-old outfielder had gotten off to a slow start, carrying a .242 batting average and just three extra-base hits into Monday night’s contest.
The titanic shot was the second-longest homer in baseball this year, traveling an estimated 459 feet, according to Statcast at 113.9 mph. Only Rangers outfielder Carlos Gomez (461) has hit one further. It was also the longest homer hit by a Yankee not named Alex Rodriguez since 2015, according to Statcast.
“That was incredible,” said Aaron Judge, who also homered and is becoming known for his own prodigious blasts. “He probably ruined some family’s day. They probably got some nachos [and] he hit the ball so hard, he probably knocked it out of their hands.
“That was a great swing by Matty. That’s what we expect out of him. He’s fun to watch.”