Yankees: Clint Frazier shredding pants hustling is what fans needed

New York Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier hustled around the bases to produce Sunday’s only run — and his outfit paid the price.

In what was otherwise a forgettable game, Frazier created the sole offensive highlight all by himself midway through the fifth inning, racing to second on a bloop should’ve-been-single before taking third on a medium-deep fly ball and scampering home on a grounder to second by Brett Gardner.

Did it spark the Yankees? Oh, by no means. The team just kept on slumbering into their series with the first-place Orioles.

But Frazier clearly gave it all he had, as evidenced by the shredded-up pants he sported that should get his teammates going moving forward.

Like a tornado, Frazier sprinted around the bases in a matter of seconds, creating the Bombers’ “offensive firepower” all by himself.

And if that attitude’s not contagious, we’re not sure what will be.

Yankees OF Clint Frazier shredded his pants with pure hustle.

Objectively, it’s hard to draw any firm conclusions from the Yankees’ first series of the year…except that if perception is reality, New York entered the season a bit sleepy offensively.

Except for Gary Sanchez and Frazier, of course.

Through three games, those two have put up the strongest and most consistent at-bats of any Bomber. They’ve dictated the count. More often than not, they’ve ended plate appearances in their favor; Frazier’s .444 mark through three starts spent at the bottom of the lineup is certainly something to dream on.

Perhaps just as important, though, are the intangibles that Frazier could bring to this 2021 Yankees season if his teammates choose to follow his lead.

Granted a starting job before spring opened, he never really stopped competing for the spotlight, running at breakneck speed all March long — occasionally to his detriment, like when he rocketed into a wall in a “meaningless” contest…but not to him.

Frazier’s verve has certainly carried over to the regular season, with his fully ripped pants serving as a testament to the will to create runs from thin air on Sunday.

Unfortunately, it hasn’t become contagious yet. Even Frazier himself fought off strange questions and attacks on his outfield skills in Sunday’s postgame — as if that was the relevant detail from the game.

If this game was any indication, though, No. 77 clearly can be a motor for a Yankees team that perhaps could use a little gas right now.

He could also be a nuisance to the team tailor.

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