Those Damn Yanks
June 23, 2022 - Well, It's probably time for me to give in and admit the New York Yankees are damn good at baseball. The Yankees are the first team to win 50 games in 2022 and it looks like there is no stoping the Brox Bombers. The Yankees are 51-18 with a demanding 12 game lead in the national league east. Leading the charge for the Yankees is the 2017 rookie of the year Aaron Judge, and let me tell you something, Aaron Judge is not a rookie anymore. Judge has looked like a seasoned veteran in the past three month of the season, slashing a .302 batting average, 27 homers, 52 RBIs, .379 OBP and a .633 SLG. He is leading the league in five different categories including, runs, homers, slugging, total bases and intentional walks. Pitchers fear him, and the Yankees are glad to have him in their dugout. But Judge is not the only one contributing to the Yankees success.
Pitching
Over the past couple years the Yankees pitching staff has not been what they thought it was. That is not the case anymore. In 2022 the Yankees pitching staff has been unbreakable. They are first in Major League Baseball in ERA (2.90), second in saves (25), fourth in strikeouts (630) and first in wins (51). This team is so good that their ace Gerrit Cole has the fourth best ERA on the team. Nestor Cortes leads all Yankee starters in earn run average with a 2.31, Jameson Taillion with a 2.70, Jordan Montgomery with a 2.97, and Gerrit Cole with a 3.14. Teams dream about having one pitcher have a sub 3.00 era, and the Yankees have three so far, and looking to add a fourth. It’s not just their starting pitching either. The Yankees have been dominant in closing games. While Aroldis Chapman has been out with an injury, Clay Holmes has stepped up as the closer for the Yankees in a dominant way. Holmes has 12 saves so far this season with 35 k, 0.53 ERA, and a 0.71 WHIP. The Yankees staff is so far looking like the most collectively sound group in baseball, and when healthy, the most dominant. DO NOT SLEEP ON THE YANKEES PITCHERS.
Hitting
We all are witnessing what Aaron Judge is doing this season, but baseball is a team effort right? With the likes of Anthony Rizzo, DJ LeMahieu, Gleyber Torres finding his groove this year, Stanton and even Isiah Kiner-Falefa contributing, the Yankees lead the majors in home runs and are second in runs batted in following the New York Mets by only 4 RBIs. The Yankees have been able to put together a tremendous start to their season without some of their key guys not help out at all. Joey Gallo is having one of the worst offensive seasons in his career, batting .180 with 9 home runs and only 18 RBI. Josh Donaldson has been unimpressive so far, batting .233 with 6 home runs and 20 RBI. Even Aaron Hicks hasn’t looked like himself this season, batting .232 with 2 home runs and just 15 RBI. The Yankees have the talent but if they want to succeed in the post season they will have to get their entire team playing to their capabilities. Listen, this is baseball right? The hardest thing to do in the world is to hit a baseball, but with the Yankees core and Aaron Judge looking like the 2022 American League MVP, all signs are pointing toward a World Series appearance.
For Yankee fans, this season has been nothing short of fun. With comeback wins, almost No-hitters, and towering home runs, it’s safe to say the Yankees are back to dominating baseball. Being the fastest team to reach 51 wins in 2022 and having the best start since 1939, the Yankees have people turning their heads thinking about 117 wins? World Series Championship? Is this the start of another Yankees dynasty? It’s a long season folks, but if the Yankees can stay healthy and continue to dominate on the field, October will be calling.