Little had gone right for the Yankees, especially on defense.
With the team in the midst of another summer swoon and desperately trying to avoid a seventh straight loss on Sunday, that trend continued at Citi Field during porous fifth and sixth innings. And yet, defense saved the day in a 6-4 win over the Mets.
While Aaron Judge made a diving catch with the tying runner on third to end the sixth and Paul Goldschmidt turned a key double play in the eighth, it was Cody Bellinger who made the game’s most outrageous play in the seventh.
With the Yankees’ protecting their two-run lead and Francisco Lindor on first with nobody out, Juan Soto sliced a line drive Bellinger’s way in left. The ball sank at 105 mph and only had a 30% catch probability, but Bellinger came in for a shoestring grab at the last possible second.
“I saw it in the air and had a really good bead on it,” Bellinger said, “so I was just glad I was able to make the play.”
Barely skipping a beat but a bit off balance, Bellinger then made a gutsy 89.9-mph throw on a line to Goldschmidt at first to double up Lindor. Mark Leiter Jr., one of the unluckiest pitchers in baseball this season, clapped along near the mound before replay review ultimately upheld both parts of the brilliant web gem.
“I was just hoping that it stood,” Bellinger said, as the ball nearly touched grass on his catch.
Added Aaron Boone, whose Yankees had lost 16 of their last 22 games before Sunday: “Considering the context of this week and everything, that’s probably our play of the year so far.”
Boone wasn’t alone in his praise, as Goldschmidt said Bellinger fired “an absolute cannon.” Judge, meanwhile, called the play “incredible.”
“I’ve never seen something like that on the field,” Judge continued. “That was a game-saving play right there.
“That’s why he’s got a Gold Glove. He’s one of the best outfitters in the game for a reason.”
But Bellinger is not just an outfielder, and his defense – particularly his versatility – helped the Yankees well before they salvaged Sunday’s Subway Series finale.
In addition to playing all three outfield spots, Bellinger is also an experienced first baseman. It took until Saturday’s game for the Yankees to give him a start there, but that’s only because they also have Goldschmidt and Ben Rice.
Sunday, meanwhile, was Bellinger’s first start in left since June 30. Not that a little time away from a position matters to him or Boone.
Shortly after the Yankees acquired Bellinger from the Cubs in December, the former MVP told the skipper that he would play anywhere, anytime. He meant it.
“He’s the one guy I don’t worry about telling him where he’s playing,” Boone said. “That’s the first conversation we had this winter. He said to me, ‘Don’t worry about where you play me every day. If I haven’t played there in a while, I love it. I don’t care.’
“When he said that to me, I took it to heart this winter. But now I’ve lived it with him, and it’s a real comfort.”
Bellinger backed his words up in spring training, making sure to practice at all four of his positions even though he was projected to be the Yankees’ everyday center fielder at the time.
Fast forward to present day, and he’s logged 298.2 innings in left, 210.1 innings in center, 177.1 innings in right and 11.1 innings at first.
Bellinger has made just two errors this season, both of them coming in center. However, he has one Out Above Average in the middle of the outfield, one in left and two in right. Bellinger’s small sample at first has yielded zero, but he made a few solid plays there Saturday.
Overall, Bellinger has a Fielding Run Value of four, which ranks in the 85th percentile.
That he is not only versatile, but also reliable at every position he plays has been a boost for Boone, who has had to mix and match his lineups and leave deserving players on the bench this season. Bellinger’s ability to slot in at four different spots – and never have an ego about it – has made life a bit easier for a manager who has been juggling four outfielders, two regular first baseman, three capable catchers and a DH-only bat.
“Everywhere he goes, he’s good,” Boone said of Bellinger. “It’s a special skill and trait that he brings to the table.
“Not everyone can do that at the level he does it.”
