Cody Bellinger is finding his swing at the right time.
For the third time in four games, the outfielder went deep as his hot September continued during the Subway Series.
On a day when the Yankees were out of it mostly from the start in a 12-2 blowout loss to the Mets, Bellinger represented a positive.
He struck the big blow in the series-opening victory with a three-run shot off Mets ace Nolan McLean on Friday night, and he added a solo shot Saturday off Zac Thornton.
Bellinger hadn’t hit for much power of late. Before his homer Wednesday against the Rockies, he last went deep Aug. 25. Suddenly, he’s getting used to trotting around the bases.
Just as significantly, Bellinger has found his overall stroke. In September, he is hitting .368/.359/.605 with a .964 OPS, which represents his second-best mark in a month this season next to his scorching-hot May.
Unfortunately for the Yankees, Bellinger’s homer was one of only seven hits they could muster. Thornton quieted them over seven impressive innings of two-run ball.
“Thornton did a really nice job with his fastball — fastball/slider/cutter combo. He obviously got a lead there and the strike throwing was really good. I thought he had a good presence with his four-seam [fastball] at the top of the zone,” manager Aaron Boone said.
“He controlled the inside part of the plate well to our right-handed hitters, so there were a couple of swings that felt like we got off decent swings, but he was in there enough to [get it] just off the handle enough to turn them into fly balls and not extra-base hits.”
Before Saturday, the Yankees lineup had come alive. During a four-game winning streak that was snapped by the Mets, they averaged 6.75 runs per game.
Some of that can be attributed to the return of Aaron Judge on Tuesday. His mere presence can change so much. But Bellinger starting to hit has obviously been significant as well, along with trade deadline acquisition Luis García Jr. and Ben Rice hitting, too.
Go beyond the box score with the Bombers
Sign up for Inside the Yankees by Greg Joyce, exclusively on Sports+.
Thank you
It has been a disjointed year for the 31-year-old outfielder. He was productive early, struggled through June and July, and missed a month with a hamstring strain.
Overall, Bellinger’s numbers — 15 home runs, 67 RBIs and a .785 OPS — are solid. Most importantly, as October nears, he is trending in the right direction.
