9 thoughts on the Yankees’ 9-game winning streak

“The 2022 New York Yankees are the same as 2021’s team, folks. I have seen enough. They can’t hit with RISP. They didn’t make meaningful additions, and should’ve signed Trevor Story or Carlos Correa. The pitching is cute, but everybody pitches these days. Same vibes as ’21, no reason to get excited, let’s pack it in.” – You, after the Yankees started 7-6

Welp, now they’re 16-6, and have done a pretty excellent job of reminding the baseball world why, exactly, they’re different from last year’s crew, which displayed the same deficiencies time and again over the course of a 92-win season that probably should’ve approached 100 with any luck and any fortitude.

Last year’s team typically hung on for dear life, like the 2022 Yankees during their first 13 games. Every win was a three-hour grind, and every loss left you feeling like … that was it? That was the best we had? Sure, you’re going to lose every now and again, but … was the team even there?

Since rolling the dice, intentionally walking Miguel Cabrera and getting burned by a bloop, the Yankees are undefeated, ignited in a similar fashion (you’d hope) to the Boston Celtics who saw RJ Barrett’s unlikely buzzer-beater touch twine and decided, “We are never losing again.”

The Yanks have racked up nine wins in a row against the Guardians, Orioles and Kansas City Royals, the third series taking place on the road.

Impossible task? No, of course not. But stringing together victories against any group of teams is difficult. Just ask the Boston Red Sox, who proudly crowed about a “get right” series in Baltimore only to throw the game-losing bunt into left field in extras and then get pasted in the finale.

That leads directly into the ninth of nine things I’ve been considering during this impressive nine-game winning streak (which, quite frankly … 10 would be cool).

9. You Play the Competition on the Schedule

Yes, rival fans are right. The Yankees should’ve refused to play Cleveland, Baltimore, and KC. They should’ve demanded better competition!

For any fan of the 2021 Yankees, this sequence has been an absolute breath of fresh air. Too often, last year’s team would’ve looked at a stretch like this as an opportunity to take a foot off the gas pedal, and the other foot off the brake, careening sadly into a railing in the process. Mentally, last year’s Bombers checked out, seemingly opting out of playing their scheduled contests against inferior competition.

Yes, the baseline of expectations for a good team going through this “gauntlet” would be, what? 6-3? 9-0 is spotless. No matter the team in the other dugout, that’s significant.

And just because Cleveland’s in a tough spot now doesn’t mean they were last week. The Guardians headed to the Bronx fresh off a sweep of the White Sox at 7-5, and their lineup was led by Steven Kwan, who never, ever whiffed.

Nestor Cortes Jr. got him twice. Fun fact, you can turn your opponent into a “struggling team” if you beat them.

6. Isiah Kiner-Falefa vs. The Offseason’s Shortstops…

Let’s get this out of the way: Isiah Kiner-Falefa has only been “exactly what this team needs” because he’s been hitting. “Putting bat to ball” and continually popping out to short is no way to go through life.

Kiner-Falefa, on the other hand, has shaken off his early struggles to play rock-solid defense and electrify the offense from the bottom of the order, turning a black hole into the Northern Lights (Kyle Higashioka has still been, uh, really bad). Through Sunday, Kiner-Falefa is hitting .303 with 20 hits and a 114 OPS+. Even those with the highest expectations for IKF likely didn’t expect he’d ever be a “league-average” bat due to his powerless nature, let alone 14 points above it.

Trevor Story? Thanks for asking; he’s at a 76 OPS+ and his Statcast page is covered in icy blue garbage. Marcus Semien? An OPS+ of 30. 30! Corey Seager? OK, he’s great. 122. But 10 years?

Carlos Correa? Who cares? If they want him, they can add him next offseason. So far, the Yankees have added a change-of-pace in IKF who also happens to be a winning ballplayer.

5. Gerrit Cole Has Chosen Jose Trevino

Like after any bad breakup, fans should be looking for signs of trouble in the Yankee dugout between Gerrit Cole and Kyle Higashioka. Perhaps Cole thought Higgy would still call after, but that PitchCom’s not ringing.

After two years of “Cole MUST Be Caught By His Childhood Friend” discourse, perhaps the real story is just … Gary Sánchez was that bad.

Cole started the season as lost as he’s ever been in pinstripes, putting up the ugliest outing of his tenure in the cold weather in Detroit. Since then, he’s thrown 12.2 innings with Jose Trevino behind the plate, allowed zero runs, walked three, and struck out 15.

The Yankees’ ace is a bit more finicky than we would’ve liked, but … you find some change that helps, however small, and you stick with it. Cole might not be “ready to declare” he has a new personal catcher, but that won’t stop us from doing so.

4. Clarke Schmidt Had to Go Down, But…

Clarke Schmidt was an excellent middle-innings bailout artist for the 2022 April Yankees. Clarke Schmidt is also still a top prospect in the organization, and someone who could benefit from consistent outings every fifth day at the Triple-A level. He still has much to learn.

When Schmidt was demoted on Sunday afternoon — following another excellent outing and cheapie win, by the way — it was a necessary move as the roster limit hit. It did not feel fantastic, especially as “No Options Luetge” struggled with his command yet again, but Schmidt racking up innings in the minors is more valuable to his future than through 8.1 innings across all of April, even with 8 whiffs and a 1.08 ERA/0.96 WHIP attached.

Somehow, Schmidt posted a 2-2 record in those 8.1 innings, a hilarious stat he can take down with him to the minors on a fact-finding mission. Hate to see you go, but Schmidt can depart with his head held high. He did nothing wrong.

3. Here’s That ‘Varied Offense’ You’ve Been Looking For!

Remember 2021, when every run the Yankees scored came on either a home run or a wild pitch?

Well, meet 2022, where the Yankees move runners over, smack sac flies, and even use the contact play to perfection, as Josh Donaldson and Anthony Rizzo did on the tiebreaking run on Sunday.

Literally, did that work one time in ’21?

Saturday’s contest was exceptional in this regard, with the Yankees coming away from “bases loaded, no outs” in the second with only a single run (on an IKF double play, which was bad), then not getting discouraged and tacking on runs in the third and fourth on sacrifice flies. The Yankees barely had any feel offensively in Game 2 in Kansas City, but still managed three runs in a game they might’ve otherwise been shut out in and went home with their eighth straight victory.

The differences in the offense overall? Kiner-Falefa’s peskiness, as well as DJ LeMahieu’s return to an elite level, with a 141 OPS+ through 22 games. Remember how well this team performed when he was their MVP in 2019? Beyond Judge, he might be their most crucial contributor, and his key is firmly in the ignition right about now.

2. Sunday’s Win Showed Why This Team is Different

Eight wins in a row? Sunday finale on the road without Joey Gallo, and with Miguel Andújar getting a showcase start? Luis Severino mis-locating, with the bullpen stuck between a Toronto series and a hard place? Aaron Boone didn’t necessarily need to go for the kill in this one. And in 2021, we might’ve seen, say, Luetge try to fight through his own mess in the seventh in the interest of preserving King.

In 2022? Down 4-1, the offense decided not to rest on its laurels, punching back with two in the fifth (ignited by … obviously, IKF and LeMahieu) before loading the bases in the seventh and putting all the pressure in the world on Kansas City. When it came time to add insurance, Judge did it. Even Aroldis Chapman didn’t pull any funny business until there were two outs in the ninth, and calmly disposed of old enemy Andrew Benintendi to add a bonus dose of hilarity to the ending.

Every fan, just about, would’ve forgiven a loss on Sunday. The Yankees decided they had no interest.

1. Want to REALLY Show Me Something? Beat Alek Manoah.

This Toronto series will not be easy (and, again, the Yankees have left themselves a lot of leeway here by blazing through a relatively soft part of the schedule and racking up wins).

The division is won by holding serve in difficult battles and running over the rest of the competition. The Yankees, so far, have escaped the Red Sox and Jays with a 4-3 record (back when they were bad, remember?), and plowed through the underbelly these past two weeks.

With the acknowledgment that it won’t be easy … the Yanks could make a real statement by finally topping Alek Manoah, who’s starting the second game in this three-game set against Jameson Taillon. Though New York ducks the dominant Kevin Gausman, they couldn’t get by Manoah, who is 2-0 with a 1.53 ERA in three career starts against the Bombers (after debuting against them last May in the Bronx).

No matter what happens in the opener, the second contest will be extremely telling, and Manoah’s coming off a guns-blazing 1-0 victory over the Red Sox. It’s always nice when an AL East ace decides to be an equal-opportunity destroyer and buzzsaw both the Yanks and Sox, but New York can show they’ve really changed if they can foul off pitches, bother Manoah, put runners on base, and maybe scratch three or four runs across in five agitated innings.

Not to say I’m not already impressed, though. The Yankees may never get the credit they deserve for this stretch of less-than-stellar opponents, but they powerfully took care of business. This next test will be strenuous, but they’ve set themselves up well by doing a perfect job handling the lead-up.

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