THE YANKEES ARE FOR REAL

I have been holding my breath for weeks.  I have been waiting for the other shoe to drop.  I am still of the belief that Juan Soto won't be with us when the season ends. I am positive he will take the money and go to the Mets and so I am having a really hard time rooting hard for a loaner. 

Yup, that's my world.  But let me just say that what this team has done and is doing is unreal and now with the surge of Aaron Judge, the dominance of Carlos Rodon and of course the talent of Soto and every player in between... I have to say it because it's incredible... the Yankees are for real.  It's glorious, exciting and as a Yankee fan... I just want it to keep going.  

This being said, I will never use a useless Aaron Boone quote in my writings on the New York Yankees ever here on Bleeding Yankee Blue pages. Boone is a worm, a slug, and has nothing to do with this surge of greatness. He is a mouthpiece; a puppet and I'm ignoring him. For this run... this is the players. It's all the players (and James Rowson) of course.

Let's also talk about the young guys that want to make a name for themselves.  Luis Gil? What a breath of fresh air.

ESPN writes:

"Gil continued his unforeseen breakout campaign Saturday, delivering the best start of his young career with 14 strikeouts -- a Yankees rookie record -- on 98 pitches over six innings as New York improved to an AL-best 32-15..."

"I have a teacher, Gerrit Cole, who's teaching me how to pitch, how to handle situations and how to execute," Gil said in Spanish. "And that's what we're doing, what he teaches me, and we're applying it in the game."

This alone brings me such joy.  This is teamwork. These are good teammates.  Hat tip to Cole.  

Then there's Clay Holmes. Jorge Castillo of ESPN wrote a great article about him.  

"STUD -- all capital letters there," Yankees reliever Luke Weaver said.

Holmes, in his second full season as New York's closer, has registered 21 strikeouts with three walks in 17⅓ innings and leads the American League with 12 saves. And ask anybody in the Yankees' clubhouse: Holmes' performance in Baltimore earlier this month is still a talker.

Holmes now has 13.

"A lot of it for me is nailing my direction," Holmes said. "I'm able to just move down the mound faster and I just think it helps my body move a little better. Just kind of knowing my lanes, the direction I need to get going. It's a product of me just moving down the mound better. It frees up my arm. The stuff moves from that."

And how about Anthony Volpe. Now I'm going to tell you that I'm not a huge Volpe guy.  But I do like what he's doing with his batting average.  Last year he ended at .209. This year his average is at .270 and that's great.

MLB.com writes:

"Anthony Volpe hit his sixth home run of the season and swiped his ninth base of the season on Thursday. The 23-year-old wasted no time as he launched a lead-off home run, which ended up being the game-winning run. Then, in the second inning, he hit a single and stole second base. After struggling in his rookie season last year, the former top prospect is clearly beginning to find his footing at the major league level. Across 44 games this season, he has posted a .273/.348/.432 slash line, which is significantly higher than his .209/.283/.383 line last year. Volpe was a 20/20 player last season and is on pace to repeat that feat this season."

As Judge said in the Athletic last year: “If he’s going to be the future and be the shortstop here for the next 15 years... you’ve got to have him up here now and just kind of getting used to it.”

And this is why this team is truly unique. Gil, Holmes and Volpe are not top Yankee names, but they are in the mix. They are in the mix of veterans and stars that are offering unique talent and making a contribution to the team.  For me? This team strangely reminds me of 1996. 

The Jeter's mixed in with the Mariano Duncans and Cecil Fielders and Wade Boggs of the team.  Meaning... everyone contributes in some fashion.  It just feels right.  While we have a long season to go, I believe that with the return of Cole, the team will just get better.  There is hope that the Yankees can sustain this run.  

Look, I am a Yankee fan. I have been one since the day I latched on the Ron Guidry all those years ago.  I have seen some great games, great teams and some really bad ones.  I become happy, I become frustrated and annoyed. But in the end, I love this team.  I just want them to do well.

If you're a Yankee fan... a believer... I applaud you for sticking around.  I was almost out of here. The Yankees horrendous season last year coupled with my busy life made it easy for me to try and walk away.  But this team is exciting, and I'll stick around for a bit more. 

To all you Yankee fans and to all you BYB freaks, thank you for being there.  We love you.  We're in it together.  

Go Yanks!