Gregorius, Headley, and Gardner Get Yanks back atop AL East

The New York Yankees are back atop the AL East. Let’s take a look at some key players in the recent resurgence to the top of the pack.

After a 10-22 skid from mid-June to the All-Star break that saw them fall out of first place, the New York Yankees are back atop the AL East.

The Bronx Bombers have been on fire for the past week or so, rattling off wins in nine of their last 11 games, including three consecutive series wins against the Seattle Mariners, Cincinnati Reds and Tampa Bay Rays.

Solid pitching, fielding and timely hitting have helped the Yankees regain their first-place status in

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the division, but with Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez both struggling since the second half began, it’s players such as Didi Gregorius, Chase Headley and Brett Gardner who have sparked their team’s recent success.

Gregorius just missed a chance to represent the American League in the All-Star game, and the short stop has been playing like an all-star ever since. Gregorius has gone 22-for-65 since July 14, giving him a .338 average along with six home runs and 12 RBI over that stretch. Gregorius also carried into and ended a 10-game hit streak in Saturday’s 5-4 win over the Rays. He’s struck out only eight times and has scored 11 runs during the 17 games since the break.

Chase Headley has been a different player altogether since moving across the infield to his new home at first base. Since the beginning of the second half, he’s been red-hot, tallying 23 hits in 60 at-bats for a .383 average. Although his six RBI and one pinch-hit home run don’t scream production, Headley has come up with some timely hits, none more important than that lone go-ahead, two-run home run to opposite field in a 5-4 victory against the Rays on Saturday.

When spring training began, numerous Yankees fans wanted Brett Gardner off the team. Now, he’s become a catalyst for this Yankee offense. Since July 14, Gardner has gone 19-for-63, good for a .301 average, and has hit four home runs while driving in eight runs.

HOUSTON, TX – JULY 01: Didi Gregorius /

Gardner’s been clutch all season long, and continued that trend this weekend, hitting a walk-off home run on Thursday night and a walk-off single Saturday afternoon agains the Rays. He’s already hit a career-high 18 home runs this season, and has set the tone all month long from the leadoff spot.

Just as Judge and Sanchez carried the Yankees offensively during the first half, Didi Gregorius, Chase Headley and Brett Gardner have done so during the second half of the season and have propelled the Yankees back into first place in the division as the calendar flips to August.

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Receiving this kind of production all throughout the lineup is a positive sign for the Yankees, and one that has pulled them out of a lengthy tailspin and back into contention for their first divisional title in five years.

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