The Yankees have proven to be among the most versatile teams in the MLB this season, as each contest seemingly sees a different hero propelling the Bronx Bombers to victory.
At a 22–8 record heading into the team’s Thursday night matchup against the White Sox, the Yankees boast the best record in baseball, and have begun running away with 1st place in the AL East.
“I think we have a chance to be really good,” said manager Aaron Boone earlier this week. “We’ll see. The beauty of it — we get a chance to find out.”
After beating the Blue Jays on Wednesday afternoon, propelled by Gleyber Torres’ 5 RBIs, New York secured their 6th-straight series win. Ten of the resilient team’s 22 wins have been come-from-behind victories, with some coming in spectacular fashion — including an Aaron Judge 3-run walk-off on Tuesday night.
While the typical big-names like Judge have contributed significantly to the team’s success, the key to their success has fallen to a wide-array of consistent hitters and flamethrowers in the bullpen.
The team has posted impressive statistical numbers on offense that have served to resoundingly answer many outstanding preseason questions surrounding the team — with some observers fretting that they would lack enough consistent batting to compete with big-hitting franchises like the Dodgers, Angels and Astros, particularly after a quiet offseason.
The Yankees have 4 batters with an above .500 batting average through 30 games (DJ LeMahieu, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Isiah Kiner-Falefa), while 3 batters have 22-or-more RBIs.
Kiner-Falefa, in particular, has outperformed preseason expectations. The defensive-minded shortstop was feared to be a liability in the lineup, but his .256/.303/.322 state line has been a major boon to the Yanks offense.
There’s also no shortage of power hitting in the Bronx dugout, as Aaron Judge leads the MLB with 10 home runs, while Anthony Rizzo is in a 4-way statistical tie with 9 homers. Collectively, the team ranks 3rd in the league with 40 long-balls.
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Meanwhile, the team’s bullpen has posted an outstanding season thus far, as the team’s starters lead the league with 22 wins, while the team collectively boasts the 2nd-lowest ERA in baseball at 2.60, behind only the Dodgers.
Yankees starters Nestor Cortes (1.41 ERA), Jordan Montgomery (2.9 ERA), Jameson Taillon (2.93 ERA) and Gerrit Cole (2.67 ERA) have all combined to create a vaunted lineup for opposing batters — and added another dimension to the Bronx Bombers’ repertoire of ways to win games.
The relievers have similarly shown out — particularly Clay Holmes, the 29-year-old righty, has performed particularly well, who have allowed just 10 hits and 1 run in 16.1 innings pitched.
The team begins their series in Chicago on Thursday night against the White Sox, who have posted a forgettable 15–14 record thus far on the year.
