The Yankees made four members of their organization available to reporters before Wednesday’s game against the Orioles: their manager, first baseman, installation technician and, of course, their travel secretary.
Because in 2020 you better be aware of hitting, pitching and logistics. But as long as the Yankees wake up in Baltimore, regardless of where the first or second version of the schedule states they would be, it is almost certain that everything will turn out well. With the fans. Without fans. Camden Yards is the Yankees’ home run away from the home run.
The Yankees did the familiar in Baltimore. They went deep and won. DJ LeMahieu homered on the second pitch of the game Wednesday night. Aaron Judge and Aaron Hicks launched in the third inning. Gerrit Cole in his second start as a Yankee ended with good numbers and won without his best edge.
The Yankees were 17-2 against the Orioles last season, winning their last 16 games against Team Tank. They were 10-0 at Camden, hit 43 home runs and averaged 9.5 runs per game. They bounced back smoothly in 2020 despite all the interruption, winning 9-3 behind home runs and Cole.
“I thought our mentality was really good,” said Aaron Boone after the game.
What did the Yankees manager offer before the first game in Camden? Boone said: “I have the impression that we will play against the Phillies next week.”
You have no certainties in 2020. You have impressions. The schedule is a moving target. Write it in pencil. Bring your eraser. What is written is more suggestion than the reality hammered into granite. Flexibility and adaptability are essential. As Boone said, “You have to stay in the athletic position.”
Adam Ottavino offered: “Once we agreed to play, you had your head turned all the time.”
Yes, all parts of the body must be committed to what is requested moment by moment. This is baseball like “Picado”, doing something delicious with random ingredients with the clock ticking. Everything was messed up this week when more than half of the Marlins’ 30-man roster tested positive for COVID-19 while in Philadelphia, forcing both teams to suspend the break.
Suddenly, the Yankees were hanging out in Philadelphia, not going to New York and playing in Baltimore. The itinerary was changing, but not the Yankees’ attitude. They have not offered public complaints.
“We think we have a special team and we can have a special season,” said Boone. “It was easy to get those guys involved and commit to everything.”
Focus and strength are necessary when much of the familiar becomes strange. The Yankees’ schedule was at the mercy of the infestation that hit the Marlins in Philadelphia. So now the Marlins aren’t playing before Monday. To try to rule out latent cases that had not yet shown up among the Phillies’ staff, Philadelphia will not play before Saturday. The Yankees’ initial plan was to return home Tuesday from Philadelphia to train at their stadium and wait for what would come next. Suddenly what followed was Baltimore. That’s where the Marlins were supposed to be on Wednesday and Thursday. So the Orioles had an open dance card.
The Yankees players voted unanimously to play two games in Baltimore, the Orioles did the same, and MLB sanctified it. At that time, Yankees manager Zack Britton had an “oh yeah” moment and went to team travel secretary Ben Tuliebitz and asked, “Can we get hotel rooms? [in Baltimore]? Tuliebitz said he thought so. Typically, you’re booking accommodation eight to 10 months in advance when next year’s calendar comes out.
“It’s been a crazy couple of days,” said Tuliebitz.
It doesn’t end. That’s why Boone had an “impression” of the next list. Next week’s Yankees schedule, for now, now has four games against the Phillies followed by a weekend in Tampa that now suddenly includes a double game. That double game can turn into two seven-inning games, if MLB approves a request made by the player association designed to limit time in the stadium and decrease pitcher wear.
Who knows what comes next? This is not a season for those who are adamant about routine, other than the routine the Yankees enjoy in Baltimore. Whatever the emerging team will have a talent for baseball and improvisation. Any club that can’t handle this will be cut.
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