Yankees Light Things Up In Baltimore—with Unlikely Heroes Leading The Way

No one is happier than me to see Tyler Wade go 3 for 4 in the Yankees 8-2 victory over the Orioles on Saturday night. Finally, he is making a greater impact offensively. There is no doubt that he makes the Yankees a better team defensively, but the question has always been could he be a solid infielder and even outfielder but also hit for average? Then, there is the story of Gio Urshela, who is quickly becoming a hero for this team. And the steadiness of Brett Gardner,  along with the early contributions of Miguel Andujar. Sure, the Yankees have been lighting things up in Camden Yards, but beneath the power and might are the most unlikely heroes who are making an impact. 

Ken Davidoff of the New York Post called Gio Urshela the Yankees glue guy; the one who keeps them together. Delving deeper, he was reporting what skipper Aaron Boone said about his most valuable player outside of the obvious MVPs who seemingly steal the limelight like Gerrit Cole and Aaron Judge. 

“I think that’s a good way of putting it. He has been an absolute glue guy for us,” Aaron Boone said of Urshela. “He’s hit everywhere in the order for us. Gotten a ton of big hits. And obviously special defensively for us as well,” reported the Post. 

Urshela and the rest of the unsung heroes of the team are making up for the loss of guys who you expected to be there but due to circumstances facing all teams, they can’t be, at least right now. “Hicks’ specific injury is a serious concern and anything with Stanton generally sets off alarms. Gleyber Torres, moreover, missed another game due to his positive COVID-19 test, although it sounds like he might be the quickest to return,” reported the Post.

The Yankees are calling on guys like Wade and veteran Gardner to step up and keep the Yankees consistently winning because if the Yankees don’t, they simply will be out of the race. But it has been Urshela leading the pack. “As their lineup has struggled mightily, with some key guys underperforming and others not available, no one has produced more steadily than Urshela, and we’re just now getting around to his defensive excellence,” reports the Post.

The Yankees will finish up their series with Baltimore this afternoon and head out to Texas before returning home next weekend to host the Chicago White Sox. Can there heroes keep on performing, and lead this team to consistent wins? My answer: “They have no choice!” 

–Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof