Just over a week ago, the New York Yankees lost their fifth straight game, meaning they had dropped 15 of 20 and were sitting at .500 despite a 16-6 start to the 2020 season. First baseman Luke Voit said something about how no one is intimidated by them and that just didn't feel like Yankees baseball.
Was that a wakeup call? The Yankees won their seventh game in a row Wednesday night. They have slowly started to get their big bats back and they sure look like the ol' Bronx Bombers again. Specifically, they've looked the part these last two nights. Tuesday, they won 20-6 and Wednesday it was 13-2.
On the "Bombers" portion of the moniker, they homered six times on Tuesday and seven times on Wednesday. This marks the first time in franchise history the Yankees have hit at least six home runs in consecutive games. This isn't exactly a franchise known for its small ball, either.
Voit homered in both games, including twice on Tuesday. It was actually his second two-homer game in the current winning streak and he leads the majors with 19 homers (in only 45 games!). Here is Voit's shot on Wednesday, positively one of the highest home runs you'll ever see.
The star Wednesday, however, was catcher Kyle Higashioka. He did yardwork three times, a first in his career.
He only previously had seven career homers, though he did have a two-homer game once before. Not three, though, so consider this a career night.
Big-picture, the Yankees now have Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge back in the lineup while D.J. LeMahieu again hits like an MVP candidate and Voit leads the majors in home runs. Things appear to be getting right just in time for the playoffs. They still trail the Rays, but it's a three-game deficit and the Rays have lost five of their past eight. Of course, no head-to-head bouts remain and the Yankees finished 2-8 against them this year. Ultimately, that could cost them in a big way when it comes to playoff seeding.
Still, the Bronx Bombers appear to be back and that's bad news for anyone in their way right now.
