BRETT GARDNER: THE KING OF CLUTCH

Brett Gardner has been making big headlines lately. The Yankees offense needs all the help it can get, and the team morale is desperate for some support. Therefore, when the Yankees have the lead and the game is blown in the ninth, it is hard to imagine where these players find the wherewithal to get back out there and fight for a win. Enter Brett Gardner. 

Twice in the course of three games, Mariano Rivera blew the save and the Yankees had to fight back. Twice Brett Gardner came up in a sudden-death scenario with the chance to win the game. Twice he delivered the walk-off, game-winning hit. Once it was a base hit to the left side, the other was a home run to right. Now Brett Gardner has developed a reputation for being a serious gamer.

The truth is that Gardner has been a clutch player for some time now. I remember back on July 6, 2008 when the Yankees were facing the Boston Red Sox, and Gardner came up to bat in the bottom of the 10^th inning. It was a 4-4 tie, with Robinson Cano on second and two outs. I remember thinking that this rookie has a chance to make a statement here. He ended up hitting a base hit up the middle off Jonathan Papelbon to score Cano and win the game. 

(Photo: July 6, 2008)
I took notice, and have been watching him play a key role on this team ever since.

For his career, Gardner’s batting average is twenty points higher with men in scoring position than his overall average. It is 32 points higher in tied games. He is a .314 hitter lifetime in the 9^th inning or later. His average is twenty points higher when facing teams with a winning record than when facing teams with a losing record. Nothing says clutch like having the stats to prove that you step it up when it matters.

That is nothing to say of his fielding. He has a career fielding percentage of .991 while playing a combination of left field and center field. He has a career total of 11 errors, and his speed gives him range that makes it difficult to hit a double over his head. Speaking of his speed, his ability to steal bases is legendary. In 2011, he tied for the American League lead in stolen bases with 49. His ability to get on base and the threat to steal adds a spark to the top of the lineup that the Yankees need to get the offense going.

Brett Gardner is a critically important piece to the Yankees offense and their defense. The next time the game is on the line and you see Brett Gardner stepping up to the batter’s box, stop what you are doing and watch. The odds are that you will not regret it.

 
--Ike Dimitriadis, BYB Writer
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon
My blog is: Shots from Murderer's Row

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