The Yankees’ offensive woes have been no secret this season. Despite a gaggle of big bats including Judge and Stanton, the Yankees have been unable to produce runs. The team entered Tuesday’s game in a four game slump after getting swept by the Tigers in Detroit. This season the team is scoring 3.7 runs per game making them the fourth worst in the MLB. To put it simply, the Yankees simply cannot hit.
Things weren’t much different against the Rays Tuesday. The team was only able to produce 3 runs in 9 innings and left runners on base 9 out of 10 opportunities. Both DJ and Gary came up in the 9th and 10th innings respectively looking to end the game but both game up empty leaving it to Clint Frazier in the bottom of the 11th.
Frazier stepped up to the plate in his own offensive slump batting just .183 with 43 strike outs on the season. Clint has looked, for lack of a better word, lost at the plate this season frequently looking at fastballs right down the middle. But this time was different. With two outs in the bottom of the 11th Clint Frazier demolished a 1-0 pitch from Andrew Kittredge sending it deep into left field for the walk off hit. Frazier watch the ball in awe as it sailed over the fence in left field.
“I really wanted to let that one sink in,” he said later in the postgame press conference.
Clint Frazier walk-off home run!
This game was as MUST WIN as it gets for June! pic.twitter.com/D5bYJCXq1Z
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) June 2, 2021
This is the second career walk off home run for Frazier and the first of the year for the Yankees who had only hit walk off singles so far.
Yankees walk-off wins this season:
✅Gleyber Torres 1B (5/8 vs WSH)
✅Giancarlo Stanton 1B (5/9 vs WSH)
✅Gleyber Torres 1B (5/22 vs CHW)
✅Aaron Judge BB (5/23 vs CHW)
✅Clint Frazier HR (6/1 vs TB)— New York Yankees Stats (@nyyankeesstats) June 2, 2021
The walk off from Frazier gave the Yankees a 5-3 win over their rival The Tampa Bay Rays. But Frazier’s walk off hit wasn’t his only game winning move on Tuesday. Only 3 innings before in the 8th Frazier made one of his now famous “superman” catches with two outs and runners in scoring position stopping the Rays from taking the lead.
Clint Frazier with a nuts on the table do or die snag to keep this game tied. pic.twitter.com/nOwEyGyzxT
— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) June 2, 2021
Although a magical moment for Clint, the reality remains that he’s struggling. Despite some monster catches made in the outfield Frazier still has his defensive struggles, often missing cut offs. It’s also been a hard season at the plate for Clint whose now batting .185 after his walk off hit with only 5 home runs. Even Clint knows Tuesdays game was a highlight for him when asked about who he felt after the hit Frazier said “Its been a tough year for me , and to be able to do that means a lot”
