A Reason To Believe

After their 9th come from behind victory in their first 27 games, this one after being down 2-0 with nobody on in the ninth against the defending World Champion Chicago Cubs, it is getting harder and harder to deny that there is something special brewing in the clubhouse at 161^st Street in the Bronx.  It is easy for the casual Yankees fan and even many of the casual baseball fans in general, to jump on the excitement train steamrolling towards what was widely considered an improbable feat before that first pitch of the new season was thrown on April 2^nd.  And that feeling of improbability might have even been paired with a sense of disappointment when the Yankees began the season 1-4.

But something changed with their first win of the comeback nature, a 4-run ninth inning rally in Baltimore, something that was hard to foresee snowballing into the type of pedigree that they now display day in and day out.  The type of pedigree predicated on poise, excitement, and belief.  There’s a famous mantra that seems to be in play here – “winning breeds confidence and confidence breeds winning”.  Clearly these 2017 Yankees already believe that they are never out of a game (honestly how many teams truly believe that they are), but they scratch, they claw, they battle and now they walk to the plate with the expectation that they will be the team shaking hands in the infield when all is said and done.  

Considering their other recent late-game victories this week, being down 9-1 (then 11-4) last Friday and then spotting the Blue Jays a 4-run lead on Wednesday, it’s easy to use terms like

“special” and “magic”.  But don’t kid yourselves; the Yankees aren’t going to win 120 games.  In fact, the best regular-season team in the history of baseball even lost about 3 out of every 10.  However, there is something different about the way these Yankees play baseball and THAT can allow you to believe in the possibilities.  In other words, they are not winning like this by accident. These Yankees take pitches and wear down pitchers.  They hit for average, get on base, and find ways to get runners in.  They are bashing homeruns (come on down Aaron Judge), but are not relying on them.  They play defense and they pitch you into the ground late in the game.  And now, they are playing with a little swagger. 

The Yankees are still at least one top-end starting pitcher away from being a true contender, but the surprising start and  potential sustainability could push General Manager Brian Cashman to use some of the draft picks he’s stockpiled away to give these Yankees a chance to compete for the ultimate prize.  They, as strange as it may sound, are built and managed to be this good.  It’s just that no one knew if and when, and everyone still might not know, how good.