The New York Yankees offensive lackluster has been their biggest downside of the 2023 MLB season. Injury to Aaron Judge and grave slumps of veterans left the team embarrassed on the plate. As a result, during the All-Star break, the front office fired then hit coach Dillon Lawson with immediate effect.
Sean Casey, former MLB player with no previous coaching experience, was hired as an interim hitting coach for the Yankees. He took charge immediately after the All-Star break and apparently addressed each player’s woes individually. Well, it seems Casey’s one-to-one connect philosophy worked on a struggling veteran who recently rediscovered his groove on the plate.
DJ LeMahieu Witnessed Offensive Resurgence With The Help Of New Hitting Coach
New York Yankees’ reliable veteran infielder DJ LeMahieu turned out to be the team’s biggest disappointment this season. His average remained below .200 for a major part of the tournament as LeMahieu struggled to connect hits. The infielder admitted to not being his true self on the plate. The struggles and slump was something he had never experienced before in his career. Having said that, the arrival of Sean Casey changed DJ’s tide. Since the All-Star break, the baseman has witnessed a strong offensive resurgence. He has reached base in 34 of his last 37 games, including a season-high 10-game hitting streak. In the second of the 2023 season, LeMahieu went 35-for-111 with a .315 batting average and a .420 on-base percentage.
Meanwhile, DJ LeMahieu recorded his first multi-homer game in over two years against the Rays on Friday. After the game, the infielder spoke to the media and credited hitting coach Sean Casey for the resurgence. “I relate to him really well. Great positive energy, a great guy. He’s a great guy to talk hitting with,” DJ said. Further, the veteran defended Casey for his lack of coaching experience and said that one does not have to be a .300 hitter to be a good coach. Sean has similar approaches to LeMahieu, which has helped the latter connect with the former. Apparently, DJ feels at ease by just talking to him. As for Casey, he needed LeMahieu to pick his good side. He always had faith in the veteran as he believes someone does not win batting titles and not be good at hitting. He was just lost and needed direction.
Luis Severino Level Ups From Last Dominant Outing To Earn Yankees A Win
New York Yankees under-fire starter Luis Severino posted a dominant outing for the first time this season last week vs. the Nationals. He pitched 6.2 scoreless innings before walking out to a standing ovation from the home crowd. With the strong momentum, Severino turned up for a start against the Detroit Tigers on Monday.
To everyone’s surprise, Luis Severino followed up with a stronger outing vs. the Tigers. He pitched as many as seven scoreless innings while striking out a season-high eight hitters and also induced 11 groundouts. Luis’ salient efforts on the mound earned the Yankees a much-needed 4-1 win over the Tigers. “When you feel your stuff is there, when you feel your fastball is there — when you have those kinds of nights, you have to use it,” said Severino.