Inside The Pinstripes

Andrew Benintendi's First Yankees Home Run Gives New York Much-Needed Win Over Jays

Andrew Benintendi's two-run home run in the seventh inning was the difference in a 4-2 win over the Blue Jays on Sunday afternoon.

Max Goodman

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Added in the days leading up to the trade deadline to provide an offensive boost, Andrew Benintendi had been almost a forgotten acquisition for the Yankees, a player that's struggled to meet expectations in pinstripes.

Benintendi was hitting .320 with the Royals before Kansas City sent him to the Bronx for three pitching prospects back on July 27. In his first 22 games with New York, Benintendi was batting .192 (14-for-73) with a .604 OPS, part of the reason why this team has been reeling in August, unable to consistently score runs.

That changed on Sunday afternoon at Yankee Stadium. 

Benintendi delivered his first signature Yankee moment, giving his team a lead in the bottom of the seventh with his first home run in pinstripes, a go-ahead two-run homer into the second-deck down the right-field line. 

The 387-foot blast came on an elevated slider from Blue Jays reliever Adam Cimber, a hanger from the sidearmer that spun, but never left Benintendi's wheelhouse. Benintendi knew it was gone as soon as it sizzled off his bat at 106.5 mph, watching the no-doubter soar before subtly flipping his lumber as his teammates (and a crowd hungry for something to cheer about) roared in celebration. 

Benintendi's first Yankee home run was also his first long ball in two months. The sweet-swinging lefty hadn't left the yard since June 20, when he took Noah Syndergaard deep in Los Angeles, one of just three other homers he's hit in 2022.

With both a double and his big home run on Sunday, Benintendi raised his OPS by 86 percentage points (up to .690 with New York). He's now hitting .300 on the season once again, batting .211 with his new team.

New York relied on another trade deadline acquisition to ensure Benintendi's homer actually meant something and wasn't lost in another late-inning collapse. 

Right-hander Lou Trivino, who was dealt from the Athletics to New York in the Frankie Montas trade earlier this month, recorded the final seven outs out of the bullpen, stifling Toronto's bats. He earned the win in the process, his first with the Yankees. Trivino has now allowed only one run in 11 appearances with the Yankees, a total of nine innings pitched.

Defeating the Blue Jays on Sunday, New York avoided a four-game sweep. The win was this team's fifth in the month of August, making the Yankees the final team in Major League Baseball to reach five wins this month.

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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