NEW YORK — For the second time in 24 hours, the Yankees saw a series of crooked numbers line the video screen above center field at Yankee Stadium, offering an invitation to start their All-Star break a few innings early. They’ve earned this break, no doubt, while reminding anyone in the immediate vicinity that there’s more to do.
With a 13-2 victory over the Red Sox on Sunday afternoon, the Yankees went into the break with 64 wins, setting a new club record for wins before the Midsummer Classic. It’s already one of the most impressive starts to a season in Major League history, but for a franchise known for being measured by championships, this should be seen as just the beginning.
“It’s quite big; it’s pretty great,” said ace Gerrit Cole, who struck out 12 over seven strong innings, finishing the first half with a 9-2 record and 3.02 ERA. “But we have bigger goals. We have a lot more baseball to play, so we try to keep it in perspective in that regard.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Yankees are the sixth major league team since 1947 to win at least 64 of their first 92 games, joining the 1954 Indians (64-28), the 1969 Orioles (64 -28), 1970 Reds (64 -28), 1998 Yankees (68-24) and 2001 Mariners (66-26). Only one of those clubs – the ’98 Yanks – hoisted the World Series trophy at the end of the year.
That’s why manager Aaron Boone said his team is “clearly aware of how far we have to go,” noting, “All we’ve done is put ourselves in a great position to do something special.” Boone plans to spend the holiday with his family , already dreaming of holding a spatula and wearing shorts. He hopes his players will be similarly energized by the game in the first half.
“You want to go into the break feeling good,” Boone said. “It’s good to see the guys really finish the half strong.”
The Yankees have won games in a variety of ways, including several in which they have hit their opponents. After a heartbreaking extra-inning loss in Friday’s opener, the Bombers rallied to outscore Boston 27-3 over the final 18 innings of the series, a tight three-game set watched by the biggest crowds of the year so far in the Bronx.
It didn’t take long to put on a show in this one. New York scored three runs in the first inning off Chris Sale, who was hit on the left calf with a line drive, sustaining a fracture. Cole said the Yankees “feel very bad about” Sale’s injury, noting the left-hander’s efforts to return to the big leagues after missing most of the past two seasons due to Tommy John surgery.
With the Red Sox throwing an unexpected bullpen game, the Yankees erupted for eight runs in the fourth inning, sending 12 men to the plate. DJ LeMahieu and Aaron Judge drove in runs to score, Matt Carpenter hit a two-run double, Aaron Hicks drove in another run and Isiah Kiner-Falefa lifted a sacrifice fly before Tim Locastro hit a two-run homer in the Boston bullpen.
Locastro’s impressive game also included two hits and a pair of stolen bases, earning him — for the first time — a chance to hold onto the title with the style of struggle the Bombers exude in their clubhouse after victories. The speedy outfielder has been back and forth from Triple-A this year, but those cameos provided a look under the hood for the Yankees.
“What’s happening here is special,” Locastro said. “Every single game, they’re never out of it. You can tell this every night. That’s what happens with a winning club.”
The Yankees have six major league stars heading west for this week’s festivities at Dodger Stadium: Judge, Cole, Giancarlo Stanton, Clay Holmes, Nestor Cortes and Jose Trevino. According to Boone, it’s a recognition of the “single-mindedness” his club showed at the start of spring training by engaging in an organization-wide shift to doing the little things right.
For example, Locastro’s two steals on Sunday gave the Yankees 63 stolen bases on the season, matching their total from their 2021 station-to-station performance. Boone also points to the defense, positioning and attention to detail taught by the coaches and often discussed among the players – all ingredients of the club’s success so far.
“It just seems like we can compete with anybody, in every game,” Cole said. “It feels good.”
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