It’s time to leave the nest.
Over the past week, Yankees rookies have seen why it can be so special to play in The Bronx. Since the Yankees transformed a roster gutted by trades into its most exciting incarnation of the season, the Baby Bombers have been cheered and praised, and in some cases — having just played in front of the 1996 world championship team — compared with the beginning of the team’s most recent dynasty.
The transition to the new era couldn’t have gone much better. Aaron Judge and Tyler Austin became the first pair of teammates ever to hit home runs in their first career game, coming in back-to-back fashion in their first career at-bats. In the aftermath of Alex Rodriguez’s departure, Gary Sanchez has been a star.
Now, after helping produce the most memorable homestand of the season, the rookies head west for their first-ever road trip, beginning Friday with the first of three against the Angels and followed by a three-game set in Seattle.
While Judge and Austin will play in their first road games, Sanchez will appear in just his second road series and Luis Cessa will make his first career start on Saturday, manager Joe Girardi hopes their unfamiliarity with the pressure of a playoff race will help revive the Yankees’ fading postseason chances.
“Sometimes that’s a good thing,” Girardi said. “Sometimes they don’t know any better. Teams don’t know them and that can sometimes be to an advantage, too.”
In Wednesday’s loss to the Blue Jays, Girardi used his young bats in the middle of the lineup for the first time, batting Sanchez and Judge fourth and fifth, respectively. Sanchez responded with two hits and a walk — including his fourth home run in four games — while Judge raised his average to .389 with two hits and an RBI.
Girardi wasn’t ready to declare the duo would remain in the heart of the order for the rest of the season, but the manager noted their performances as just another reason to believe Sanchez and Judge could be important offensive pieces for several years.
“It says that they’ve handled whatever we’ve given them so far and obviously these are two young men that have the ability to be very productive,” Girardi said. “Obviously your hope is over time they can become very consistent, very productive middle-of-the-order hitters, but I’m not ready to put that pressure on them.”
For Sanchez, pressure seems to be no problem. Since being called up on Aug. 3, the 23-year-old is batting .360 with five home runs and 11 RBIs.
“I feel very comfortable,” Sanchez said through a translator. “I’m getting good results and I’m looking to improve every day.”
After going hitless in two at-bats in his major league debut at the end of last season and 0-for-4 on May 13, Sanchez was sent back down to Triple-A and soon after suffered a non-displaced fracture of his right thumb.
But in 12 games since returning, Sanchez has hit safely in 10.
“Each at-bat is a grind for the pitcher,” Girardi said. “Obviously he’s swinging the bat really well. He’s done a really good job for us in every situation that we’ve put him in. I’m very pleased with what he’s done.”
The compliments extend beyond the batter’s box. Using Sanchez at catcher in seven games, Girardi, a catcher himself for 15 major league seasons, has seen enough to feel comfortable using him in most games going forward, demoting Brian McCann to a primary role of DH.
“When I look at Gary, obviously he’s improved in every area, whether it’s receiving, blocking, throwing, hitting, but the progression that we’ve seen is consistency,” Girardi said. “He understands how to call a game better. He’s done a good job back there. … The big thing is he’s always had a ton of talent, but the consistency of his talent is starting to shine.”
“I think over time we’ll get a better read, but I will say something, in those [seven] games he’s played extremely well.”