In case you have been living under a rock, the Yankees have been playing like the walking dead. They dropped 5 of 6 games to Seattle and Oakland, with one loss uglier than the last. The theme of the week was #RISPfail, but that does not tell the whole story. Their offense has been in a collective slump and every time they did have a chance to score, they seemed to shoot themselves in the foot. The most damming thing I can say about the past week is that they seemed to be playing uninspired. Well, maybe that turned-around last night.
Mr. Steal Your Plate. #LetsGoYankeeshttps://t.co/bgJ9Xt3B1h
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 23, 2016
Mr. Steal You Some Momentum as well! Ellsbury became the first Yankee to have a straight steal of home since Derek Jeter did it on May 5, 2001 vs Baltimore. It not only tied the game at 3, but allowed the team to relax for the first time in a week.
Ellsbury received a lot of criticism at the end of last season for moping after being benched in the Wild Card game, and the 153 million dollar man deserved that criticism in my opinion. On Friday, Ellsbury was on the bench to start the night because the lefty Moore was on the mound for Tampa. If it were not for Aaron Hicks leaving the game early, Jacoby would probably not have seen the field last night. It’s funny how some things work out, but Hicks getting banged-up could have been a turning point in the season for the Yanks.
I give Ellsbury credit for injecting life into this team when he did get a chance. He ended up going 2-for-3, which included two huge tack-on RBIs in the 8th inning. He is back in the starting lineup Saturday afternoon, batting leadoff vs the Rays top pitching prospect Blake Snell, another left-hander.
Time will tell the impact Ells’ steal of home will have on the Yankees season, but for one night, it was just the spark they needed.
