Yankees: Andrew Velazquez’s first Bronx home run will bring tears to your eyes

The New York Yankees decided to call up minor league veteran Andrew Velazquez in order to account for injuries to Gleyber Torres and Gio Urshela in the infield. While this seemed like a fairly innocuous move given his production, Velazquez has quickly emerged into a fan favorite thanks to his backstory.

Born in the Bronx, Velazquez had to bounce around several different organizations, including the Rays, Indians, and Orioles, as a Triple-A infielder and occasional call-up before finally being able to come back home and put on the pinstripes. It sounds like something out of a fairytale or Hollywood writers’ room.

Velazquez is on this team for his defense, which he has already shown off in New York’s sweep of the rival Red Sox. A slap-hitting infielder currently sporting a .242 average, Velazquez finally put enough of a charge into a ball to find the seats, and the reaction from his family in attendance was genuinely heartwarming.

In what ended up being a 7-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins, Velazquez crushed a home run off of relief pitcher Ralph Garza deep into the right field stands, giving New York some extra insurance as they looked to stay hot.

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Velazquez’s family was in attendance, and they broke down in tears. Being in the ballpark to watch him finally park one in the stands for the team he grew up as a fan of is certainly an emotional moment.

It’s these kinds of moments that really show what the game is all about.

Andrew Velazquez hit his first Yankees home run.

Velazquez, a Fordham Prep graduate, was drafted in the seventh round of the 2012 MLB Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks. After being included in the Jeremy Hellickson deal and signing a bunch of minor-league contracts with whichever franchise he was able to latch on to, he finally signed with the Yankees in December of 2020.

Velazquez, who added to this incredible story by revealing that he is currently living with his parents in the Morris Park neighborhood, claims that he was able to get that first home run ball back from the fan who caught it without any friction.

We still don’t know how long this magic carpet ride will last for Velazquez, as the returns of Torres and Urshela might mean that he has to get on the bus back to Scranton. However, as long as he keeps hitting like this and flashing the leather, Velazquez will make it very hard for the Yankees to get rid of him.

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