Remarkable Kyle Tucker catch robs Yankees' Cody Bellinger of home run history

Remember the New York Yankees fans who didn't want Cody Bellinger in the Bronx because of a few blue Baseball Savant rectangles? We remember.

On Friday night in the Bronx, on a beautiful, breezy summer evening marked by dissipating moisture and coalescing vibes, the Yankees took on the Chicago Cubs. It was their fourth contest since the day Bellinger grabbed a Juan Soto liner off his shoetops, doubled up Francisco Lindor at first, and shifted the Yankees' trajectory dramatically. In just one moment, they went from barely hanging on to hanging crooked numbers.

Devin Williams finished off that Subway Series finale, which led directly into two high-scoring wins over the Mariners and a comeback in which the Yankees shook off a no-hit bid and a 5-0 deficit in the eighth to sweep. As if Bellinger hadn't made his momentum-flipping case plainly enough, he socked a pair of homers off the Cubs on Friday, helping to build the 8-0 lead Carlos Rodón exited with at the end of the eighth inning, screaming and hollering from a crouch as Aaron Judge headlong dove to keep his line clean.

With the advantage at 6-0 in the seventh, Bellinger hit a semi-innocuous low liner that was captured at the wall by Cubs superstar (and Bellinger replacement) Kyle Tucker. It would've been a meaningless tip-of-the-cap ... if Bellinger hadn't launched another homer just over the leaping grab of Pete Crow-Armstrong in the bottom of the eighth.

If not for Tucker's heroics, Bellinger would've been the second Yankee in franchise history to hit the four-homer mark in one game, matching only Lou Gehrig in 1923. Seriously.

Yankees' Cody Bellinger nearly hit four home runs, but one of them ended up in Kyle Tucker's clutches

What would you rather do? Figure out a way to scrounge together $600+ million to make a run at Tucker the Robber in free agency, or tack a few years onto Bellinger's friendly deal, keeping the son of Clay safe at home? It's certainly up for debate, as Bellinger punctuates his near-All-Star first half with a historic-but-almost-even-more-historic power show, giving him an .838 OPS on the season.

The Yankees were just about left for dead when Bellinger humbled Soto and Lindor in one fell swoop. Just five days later, and Tucker's effort - while impressive - was still futile in stopping the Yanks' ball rolling down the hill.

Randy Arozarena's a fine All-Star replacement choice. Ceddanne Rafaela and George Springer would've been, too. But Bellinger's late charge merited inclusion - and might've brightened the summer.