As soon as Aaron Judge sustained a gruesome toe injury on June 4, the New York Yankees fans gave up on the hopes of a World Series contender. After all, the star slugger was solely responsible for offensive production. And to much surprise, the fan’s worst fears did come true as the team tumbled down massively in Judge’s absence.
Right after Aaron Judge landed on IL, the Yankees kept on recording loss after loss, including the ones against the worst-performing teams in MLB currently. With a record of 48-38, a postseason berth looks seemingly out of the question. But one headstrong Yankee is not yet ready to give up just yet. He is silently thriving under pressure to keep the fans’ hopes alive.
Harrison Bader’s Heroics Leads To Back To Back Crucial Wins For Yankees
It’s been less than a year since star center fielder Harrison Bader joined the New York Yankees. He arrived in the Bronx via a trade deal with St. Louis Cardinals in August 2022. Despite consistent injury struggles, the outfielder has managed to become a fan favorite in the shortest possible time. His small yet important contributions have led the Yankees to some crucial wins, and the fans saw yet another glimpse of his brilliance in the past week. This season, Bader is hitting .263 with seven home runs, 28 RBIs, and .771 despite missing more than a month’s time due to multiple injuries.
Not only that but since the Yankees witnessed a slump, Harrison Bader has been the only consistent performer in the offensive lineup. With Bader in the lineup, the team has seen a record of 36-16. Just last week, against the potent Rangers, the center fielder drove an RBI in the eighth innings to carry the team from 2-3 to 4-3. Bader once again pulled off an eight-inning clutch against the Orioles on Monday, wherein a three-run homer took the Yankees lead to 6-3. With top names struggling with hitless at-bats, athletic Bader has managed to keep the team’s postseason dream alive. The only challenging task for him now is to keep his health in check. As long as the hitter stays injury free, he has the ability to conquer the world and become the best-performing Yankee of the 2023 MLB season.
Gleyber Torres, Harrison Bader Trash Orioles At Home
New York Yankees’ east rivals, Baltimore Orioles, are witnessing an unusual resurgence this season. As of this writing, they are sitting above Bombers on the points table with a record of 49-35. However, the Yanks’ dominance at home ended the Oriole’s winning spree. Owing to Harrison Bader and Gleyber Torres‘ heroics, the team won the first two games to claim the three-game series. While Bader secured the second game with a sensational three-run clutch homer, Torres shined a day later.
In a rain-hit game, Gleyber Torres set the stage right for the Yankees by hitting a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning off Kyle Gibson. Later, with the game tied 3-3, the baseman drove a single and brought Giancarlo Stanton on the plate. Batting at 3-2, Stanton connected a single, which helped Torres reach home to get another run on board. With this, the Bombers have earned a much-needed series win at home after losing one on the road trip.
