The Yankees meet expectations to start the season
The Major League Baseball season is still in the early stages. The conclusion of the first half on July 14 is two months away, and 16 more weeks of the schedule lie ahead before the regular season ends.
Even so, the Yankees are positioned where many pundits predicted they would be coming into this campaign. A lot can happen between now and their final regular season game on Sept. 29, but as for now, they had the third best record in MLB at 28-15 going into last night against the Minnesota Twins on the road. Only the Philadelphia Phillies (30-13) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (29-15), both of the National League, were above them for the top overall mark.
The Yankees were in first place in the American League (AL) East, and led the young and gifted Baltimore Orioles (26-14), last year’s division champions, by a half-game. The Yankees finished fourth last year at 82-80. They have accumulated a high win total with two mainstays. Pitcher Gerrit Cole, last season’s AL Cy Young Award recipient, and infielder DJ LeMahieu have yet to play a regular season game due to injuries they picked up in spring training. Cole was shelved with right elbow inflammation and nerve pain. LaMahieu’s 2024 debut has been delayed by a non-displaced right foot fracture after hitting a foul ball off of it on March 16.
Both have been rehabbing at the Yankees complex in Tampa, Florida. No exact timetable has been publicly communicated by the Yankees for when either will rejoin the active roster, but according to the team’s manager, Aaron Boone, the signs are encouraging.
“Gerrit, everything went well,” said Boone after a recent throwing session by Cole. In the meantime, the Yankees starters Nestor Cortes, Carlos Rodon, Luis Gil, Marcus Stroman, and Clarke Schmidt have been strong with a collective ERA of 3.318 before meeting up with the Twins last night. And closer Clay Holmes had 12 saves, a 0.98 WHIP, and a remarkable 0.00 ERA in 18 appearances.
At the plate, right fielder Juan Soto has been on an MVP mission, leading the Yankees in batting average (.313), RBI (34), and hits (51). Center fielder Aaron Judge, the 2022 AL MVP, topped the team in home runs with 10.
The Yankees will play three games against the Chicago White Sox this weekend on the road, then take on the Mariners in Seattle for four games Monday through Thursday.
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