New York Yankees: The Machine better known as DJ LeMahieu
The New York Yankees managed to find a way to defeat the Minnesota Twins in game one with plenty of help from their MVP candidate.
New York Yankees fans were shocked and concerned after All-Star DJ LeMahieu showed he was human after botching a routine flyball. The Yankees were trailing early in their opening postseason game against the Minnesota Twins but the worries didn’t last long as LeMahieu reminded the world of his greatness.
LeMahieu more than lived up to his nickname of ”The Machine” during the Yankees come back victory. The Yankees utility infielder all season provided a clutch four RBIs in the 10-4 game one win. Former Colorado Rockies star has proven his MVP candidacy all season with the Yankees after initially expected to be just a bench player to start the year.
LeMahieu finished second in batting average during the season and drove in over 100 RBIs remarkably from the leadoff spot. He primarily played third base after the season-ending injury of Miguel Andujar and more than made it his home along with any other position needed. The stellar defense anywhere on the infield has allowed Gio Urshela to break into the postseason lineup while keeping the option for natural first baseman Luke Voit.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone will continue to get well-deserved praise, but he has DJ as a significant catalyst for the team’s success. Boone knew the right time to make the official change-making DJ a full-time player early in the season. The injury bug hit the team hard all season, and the durability of the roster was tested also opening opportunity throughout the year.
Brian Cashman was the man that pulled the trigger on bringing in the 31-year old infielder. He spoke with Newsday’s’ Erik Boyland about the process and keeping the rewards of his decision.
"“He’s been a game-changer for this roster and this franchise in 2019,” Cashman said. “Thankfully, I was open-minded to at least considering anything that comes my way and it over time made more and more sense. Everything that was represented by analytics proved true. Everything that was represented by pro scouting [proved true] … in this case it worked out extremely well and to our benefit. And so, again, I thank those individuals for pushing it and pat myself on the back for hiring people smarter than me.”"
Next. The New York Yankees need to remain savages during the postseason. dark
The Yankees are riding high after the game one victory but must remain focused as game two is later today back at Yankee Stadium.