After a mostly miserable season spent either in a slump or sidelined with an ankle injury, Greg Bird is in his best stretch of the year at the plate.
The first baseman had two more hits and RBIs in Friday’s 4-0 win over the Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium — including a double that extended his streak of games with an extra-base hit and an RBI to seven, the longest in the majors this season.
“It’s just great being back, settling in, being comfortable and just being part of this team because it’s such a fun team to be on,” said Bird, who was out nearly four months before surgery to remove a bone in his ankle helped get him healthy. “When you’re rehabbing, it’s such a weird place to be in. I was looking forward to getting back and being a part of it. It’s been great. Ninety wins is great. Now we’ve just got to keep it going.’’
If Bird, who now has nine homers and 28 RBIs, continues to hit like he has the last nine days, they should have a good shot.
He entered Friday having homered in three straight games for the second time in his career and while he was unable to hit another against Toronto, he drove in the Yankees’ first run of their win with a long sacrifice fly in the first, added a double to right in the fourth and then singled in another run in the sixth.
“He’s swung the bat extremely well,” manager Joe Girardi said. “He’s been really productive. The RBIs he’s had since he’s come back have really helped our offense.”
He hit sixth in the lineup for a fourth consecutive game, solidifying himself in the middle of the lineup, but he’s mostly just pleased to be playing.
“It’s been a weird couple of months, but nobody was no frustrated than me,” Bird said. “You just deal with it. It makes you better personally and as a player.’’