SI

Rock Bottom No More: The Yankees Are Mashing Their Way Back Into World Series Contention

Eight days and 61 runs after hitting rock bottom, the Yankees are riding a seven-game winning streak.

Nick Selbe

Take a trip back in time with me, if you will, way back through history. The date is Sept. 8, 2020, and the Yankees simply cannot win. At this point, they’ve lost five straight games and 15 of their last 20, reaching what the local media would deem “rock bottom.” They were beat up, scuffling and trying desperately to cling to a playoff spot after entering the season as World Series contenders.

Eight days and 61 runs later, the Bronx Bombers are clicking into place.

The Yankees—fresh off a four-game sweep of the Orioles after some were foolish enough to suggest Baltimore could leapfrog the Yankees a wild-card spot—ran their winning streak to seven games Wednesday night. In their first two games of their current series against Toronto, they’ve outscored the Blue Jays 33–8. They became the fifth team since 1901 to hit six or more homers in back-to-back games, with Wednesday’s outburst highlighted by a three-home run night from Kyle Higashioka.

When your backup catcher is pulling off a hat trick, you know things have turned the corner.

The Yankees have turned their fortunes around in the most on-brand way: by out-mashing their opponents. They’ve scored 10 or more runs three times during their win streak, thanks to some white-hot runs from DJ LeMahieu, Clint Frazier and MLB home run leader Luke Voit. 

DJ LeMahieu and Luke Voit high-five
DJ LeMahieu and Luke Voit / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

The pitching’s rounded into form as well—opponents have scored two runs or fewer in six of their last seven games. As Gerrit Cole rediscovers his dominant ways, the quartet of J.A. Happ, Deivi Garcia, Masahiro Tanaka and Jordan Montgomery has combined to post a 3.42 ERA in 18 starts over the past month.

The surge has vaulted New York back into second place in the AL East, which could set them up to host the wild-card round. If the season ended today—which admittedly means very little at the moment as the postseason picture remains so up in the air—the Yankees would be in line to face the Twins. That could not be a more ideal situation, as the Yankees have won 13 consecutive playoff games against Minnesota, eliminating them four times since 2004.

In hindsight, maybe it was too early to start questioning whether the Yankees could really miss the playoffs. Likewise, it’s too soon to start planning celebrations for World Series No. 28. But in this season, eight days is enough to completely change a team’s fortunes—and these Yankees are back to where they belong: among the short list of title contenders.

Quick Hits

• Mets ace Jacob deGrom exited his start Wednesday with a right hamstring spasm after giving up three runs in two innings. After the game—which the Mets won after the Phillies’ bullpen blew yet another lead—deGrom said he wasn’t too worried about the issue long-term.

• Tony Kemp made one of the most acrobatic escapes of a pickle in recent memory:

I bet he’s awesome at Twister too.

• The Dodgers became the first team to clinch a playoff spot, beating the Padres, 7–5, in their series finale.

• Brandon Woodruff got creative:

“Quick hits with quick kicks as hitter quick sits and inning calls it quits" —Princess Carolyn, probably.

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Nick Selbe
NICK SELBE

Nick Selbe is a programming editor at Sports Illustrated who frequently writes about baseball and college sports. Before joining SI in March 2020 as a breaking/trending news writer, he worked for MLB Advanced Media, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. Selbe received a bachelor's in communication from the University of Southern California.

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