On August 12, the Yankees lost a heartbreaker against the Chicago White Sox in the inaugural Field of Dreams Game, as Zack Britton spoiled a four-run top of the ninth inning by allowing a two-run walk-off homer to Tim Anderson. It was just the latest in what was a number of gut punch losses and bullpen meltdowns since the beginning of July, and, despite the hot stretch that the Yankees had put together, youd be forgiven for believing it was just another example of the team getting in its own way in a frustrating season.Rather than falling apart Clay Holmes Jersey, however, the Yankees bounced back in a big way, going on a win streak that met its end yesterday afternoon. But how have they gone about winning all these games? Lets take a dive into the numbers.High-Leverage, All the TimeThe Yankees may have been winning a lot, but they havent come easy aside from two games against the Minnesota Twins on the 20th and 21st and one against the Atlanta Braves on the 23rd, the Yankees have won every game by three runs or fewer; seven victories, moreover, had a margin of only one or two runs. You know what that means? A lot of high-leverage innings.Since August 14, Yankees pitchers have faced 61 total batters in high-leverage situations, or more than five per game; only the Dodgers, Royals, and Giants pitching staffs have dealt with more high-leverage situations in that time span. In contrast, they have only faced 167 batters in low-leverage situations; only Rockies and Giants pitchers have seen fewer. Thats a lot of high-stress innings, but somehow, the Yankees pitchers have been able to walk the tightrope just enough to keep winning.The Goal Line Package has mashedAaron Judge. Giancarlo Stanton. Joey Gallo. Anthony Rizzo. Luke Voit. If this five lined up as the offensive line for the New York Giants, they might actually be better than the real starting offensive line over in the Meadowlands. Fortunately for the Yankees Roy White Jersey, all five opted for a different sport, and instead represent the two-through-six spots of the order when manager Aaron Boone pencils Judge in as the center fielder for the teams most brutally effective offensive configuration.Although Rizzo has struggled since returning from the COVID-19 IL, the other four have more than made up for him with their performance at the plate. Judge, Stanton, and Voit share the team lead with 0.7 fWAR in this span, posting wRC+ figures of 190, 223, and 248, respectively. Gallo, meanwhile, has added four home runs of his own and driven in eight runs, for a comparatively paltry wRC+ of 123.2021s Mike TauchmanEvery year, somebody comes out of nowhere, performs well above his career norms, and stakes out an important role for himself as the Yankees deal with a barrage of injuries. In 2019, that player was Mike Tauchman. Last season, it was Erik Kratz. This year, its hometown kid Andrew Velazquez.Signed as a minor league free agent over the winter and promoted to the Majors on August 9, Velazquez has put together the best stretch of his career: in addition to hitting his first career homer, he has driven in six runs Mickey Mantle Jersey, scored six times, and made an electric game-ending stop to jam and secure the sweep over the Boston Red Sox.Andrew Velazquez's fielding chops seals a Yankees series sweep against the Red Sox and sixth consecutive win.
top of page
bottom of page