Yankees: Clint Frazier’s moonshot off Blake Snell makes Aaron Boone look genius

Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier went yard in his first career playoff start.

When the New York Yankees dropped their lineup for Game 1 of the ALDS, many fans were elated when they saw that manager Aaron Boone inserted Clint Frazier as the starting left fielder. Everyone loves Gardy, but it’s clear Frazier’s bat is much more valuable.

And boy, did the slugger prove that in the third inning of Monday night’s game. The Yankees took an early 1-0 lead on an Aaron Hicks sac fly, but immediately gave it back on a Randy Arozarena solo homer in the bottom half of the first.

Then came Frazier, who uncorked this behemoth into the second deck of Petco Park. Nice try, Blake Snell! You’re not sneaking any fastballs past this lumber!

That one was reminiscent of his monster shot against the Mets during summer camp, but this one matters a lot more.

We always knew Frazier was capable of this, but we needed to see it in action on the big stage. Truth be told, his entire career up until this point has been handled as if he was playing in the postseason, considering he’s been fighting for a roster spot since 2017. There was quite literally no tomorrow for Frazier until 2020 when he gave Boone no choice but to start him.

The icing on the cake? His improved defense. Frazier was viewed as a liability thanks to countless gaffes over the years, but it’s evident he’s largely beyond that, which has allowed Boone to play him more without having to worry about issues on the other side of the ball costing the Bombers.

After just two and a third postseason games this year, Boone can finally sit back and not listen to any of the critics. Starting Gardner against the Indians worked out in his favor too — Gardy went 3-for-8 with three runs scored, a home run, three RBI and two walks in those two victories.

Now, Frazier’s first at-bat is paying dividends. What a wild turn of events after Boone was catching it from every angle for his questionable lineup and bullpen decisions. Welcome to the postseason, I guess.

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