The New York Yankees entered Tuesday night's game with 98 home runs in 60 games, which is 14 more dingers than any other team in baseball. Likely you are not completely surprised by that stat. As fans, we all know the Yankees hit more home runs than anyone else. Heck, Aaron Judge has hit about a third of those home runs himself. But what I really like about that stat is that the world of baseball is taking notice. The Yankees are the team to beat because they hit the ball harder than anyone else.
"When a Yankee puts the ball in play, the ball comes off his bat at an average of 90.6 miles per hour, according to the league’s Statcast data. This preternatural baseball-mashing has manifested some extraordinary bombs already. On Saturday, Giancarlo Stanton hit a ball 120 miles per hour and bounced it off the second deck at Yankee Stadium, and that was somehow … maybe not the most stunning homer a Yankee has hit this year? The team’s longest plate-to-air missile to date was this 456-footer on May 12, one of the 24 so far to leave the bat of league leader Aaron Judge," reported Alex Kirshner of Slate.
An interesting juxtaposition to the sweet, picturesque home runs we see night after night at home and on the road, is that the Yankees don't have to face the best pitching staff in the league. From Gerrit Cole to Nestor Cortes and the season that the incredible comeback kids Jameson Taillon, Jordan Montgomery and Luis Severino are having, Yankees pitching is virtually unhittable. With two near perfect games in back to back games against the Angels, the starting rotation is the best it's been in years. Collectively, across the entire pitching staff, the Yankees are the pitching leaders across all of baseball. So not only are the Yankees threats offensively, their pitching and defense are equally superior to other teams.
“Our pitching and defense has been outstanding,” Anthony Rizzo said Sunday against the Minnesota Twins. “It just allows all of us to play free and just play baseball,” reported the New York Post. “Pitching and defense is going to take us where we want to go, and timely hitting,” Rizzo said. “We know we can hit and we know we can put pressure on at any time so it’s just staying the course.”
The Yankees are exciting to watch—and no matter where I am traveling for work or vacation or just a family gathering, I am tuned in. I have not missed an inning or a home run. And as an onlooker, you can see that confidence or perhaps relaxed disposition across the team like Rizzo explained. It is likely this sense of relief that is helping the Yankees swing the bat better, harder and longer than anyone else this season.
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--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof
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