New York Yankees’ Cody Bellinger gestures as he runs the bases after hitting a grand slam during the … More
On Saturday afternoon, Pete Alonso invoked a reference anyone familiar with driving in New York City could relate to when he said how a Subway Series between the Mets and Yankees would be epic and it would ensure avoidance of the Van Wyck Expressway.
Thinking ahead to a possible third series with much higher stakes was on the minds of many throughout the weekend due to the presence of Juan Soto on the Mets and Aaron Judge threatening to hit .400 and seemingly headed for a third AL MVP.
The possibility is also on the minds of many because the moves the Yankees made after realizing Soto was signing his historic 15-year, $765 million contract to ply his trade in Queens are also working out and were fully on display throughout the nine hours, one minute it took for the teams to complete three compelling games in a season series that has a strong case for occurring six times per year on an annual basis.
It is kind of strange to think anything the Yankees do can be classified as “under the radar” or “low key” especially since they are amongst the highest profile teams in sports and boast some of the game’s highest payrolls.
Compared to the hype the Mets received for adding Soto and the massive storyline about his chilly reception from fans, the pivot to allocating resources on Cody Bellinger, Max Fried, Paul Goldschmidt and Devin Williams seemed slightly under the spotlight in December.
The Mets are paying Soto $51.9 million this season. The combined cost of Bellinger, Fried, Goldschmidt and Williams is about $65 million.
Of course, anyone would deem Soto the better option given his track record but the Yankees added a pair of former MVPs, an ace-like pitcher and a premier closer and their pedigrees were highlighted on Sunday while Soto was hitless in four at-bats and 1-for-10.
Bellinger was 3-for-3 with two walks, hitting a two-run double, beating out an infield single and then hitting a grand slam on the first pitch after the Yankees took a two-run lead. Before Bellinger’s big night finished with a drive that appropriately went over Soto’s leaping attempt in right field, Goldschmidt, Williams and Fried did things to set up the latest occurrence in Bellinger’s 13-game hitting streak, the longest active streak.
Fried survived 27 foul balls and pitched six innings of two-run ball, leaving him with a 1.29 ERA, cementing his status as an ace while the Yankees wait for Gerrit Cole to finish his rehab from Tommy John surgery.
Williams continued his improvement since a blown save on April 25 resulted in Luke Weaver taking over the closing duties. He retired Soto and Pete Alonso on changeups then used his fastball to get Mark Vientos.
Suddenly the positive results with his changeup are appearing. Williams was allowing hitters to bat .273 off the pitch when he was pulled from the role but hitters are now 7-for-37 (.189) off the pitch, including 1-for-13 since the role change.
Same thing applies to Bellinger, who dealt with a minor back issue and a food poisoning in the opening weeks. He was hitting .196 after May 2 but is 17-for-50 in his past 13 to get to .258, equaling his career average entering Sunday.
“He’s just been swinging the bat so well the past couple games, and I love it when I have that guy hitting behind me,” Judge said. “I just feel like his approach is a little better. He knows what he’s looking for when he steps into the box, and when he gets what he’s looking for he’s not missing it.”
It is the kind of performance the Yankees and others saw when he was the rookie of the year in 2017 as the Dodgers reached their first World Series since 2017. It also resembled his 47 homers and 115 RBIs for the Dodgers in 2019 but this version of Bellinger was coming off two years of proving it again for the Cubs as he hit .286 with 44 homers and 175 RBIs even as concerns about his exit velocity persisted.
“He’s kind of the same every day. I think he’s got enough experience in this league now obviously, and he’s experienced it all,” Boone said. “He’s experienced being the best player in the league and winning MVP. He’s experienced struggles. He’s experienced making a career kind of swing change and dealing with an injury and kind of evolving behind the scenes.
“You see that experience play out, like, whether he’s flying high or going through a rough patch, just kind of sticking with his process and his routine and kind of the same guy.”
As for Goldschmidt, he has been as steady as it gets and a rock defensively by constantly fielding throws that are not accurate at times, resulting in a graphic on MLB Network “Goldy’s cleaning service”.
Losing someone the caliber of Soto’s track record stung the Yankees and certainly their fans based on the reaction of an intense Subway Series. When those fans were not booing Soto, they were able to enjoy and appreciate the pedigree and contributions of the four notable names the Yankees focused on in a span of 17 days after Soto joined the Mets.
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