“I Hope So” Aaron Boone Wishes Walk-off Win Inspires Judge, Soto and Co. to Pick up Form

It’s weird how sometimes what looked like a start of something good turned out to be just a false start. The Milwaukee Brewers series was proving to be that false dawn for the New York Yankees. Ever since the hitting extravaganza of that series, the Bronx Bombers’ bats have been awfully quiet. So much so that one wondered whether they had left their bats in the Brewers’ stadium. In such moments, even a little attacking display can improve the morale of the players – at least that’s what Aaron Boone hopes for.

Last night the Yankees continued on the path they created against the Baltimore Orioles. Which means that for eight agonizing innings, the hitters remained completely silent against the Detroit Tigers. But then came a little spark. Led by Aaron Judge that spark erupted into a flame in the 9th inning and the Yankees ended up winning after Anthony Rizzo’s walk-off single. Can an emotional win like that improve the hitters’ confidence? 

“I hope so. We’ve got a lot of good hitters, been a slow week for us,” Aaron Boone said in his postgame interview. “But you hope something like this can ignite that fire a little bit and get the offense cranking but it’s about winning. And these guys have done a great job of that whether it’s different ways you got to find ways to win in this league. They were able to find a way tonight by putting together a really really strong inning against a good reliever.”

One can’t say that the Yankees dominated this game. For eight innings the Tigers looked like the team who would win (even though they too had only one run on board). The Bronx Bombers had only two singles to show. But then Aaron Judge his a single against Jason Foley in the 9th inning. Alex Verdugo followed with a bunt and then Giancarlo Stanton’s double allowed Judge to score. Later Anthony Rizzo’s walk-off single allowed the Yankees to avoid their fourth loss in five games.

That win certainly gave the players some confidence. Comments from Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo show that the Yankees are starting to believe again.

Aaron Judge leads the New York Yankees’ counterattack

Had it not been for Aaron Judge’s clutch single the Yankees might not have believed in a comeback. Giancarlo Stanton’s comments show how important it was for the Pinstripes to have that belief. “Just keep pushing while we have outs and opportunities,” Stanton said (via New York Post). “We needed every last one, but if we’ve got outs (left), we’ve got the time.”

Similarly, Anthony Rizzo noted that usually it only takes one player to turn the tide around for the team. “The offense didn’t put much together. But with this offense, it takes one guy to get on and we just keep grinding,” Rizzo said. According to the star winning when the team is not clicking is a huge confidence booster. 

So at least for now, Aaron Boone’s hopes are turning into a reality. The players look rejuvenated – Does that mean that the hitting party is about to begin in The Bronx?