Austin Wells did more than reward the Yankees’ belief in him with huge Game 1

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If Brian Cashman had acted as most expected him to act at the trade deadline, Austin Wells would not have taken his second-inning at-bat. 

Facing lefty Payton Tolle, this was a game reserved for a righty-hitting catcher. Maybe Ryan Jeffers, who might as well have been looking for a New York apartment considering the months of speculation. Or maybe the switch-hitting Adley Rutschman, another potential Yankees target who was behind the plate Tuesday because he was redirected instead to the Red Sox, who overwhelmed the Orioles with their trade package. 

But Cashman did not pull the trigger on finding another catcher, even a complement, and so Wells — who had been among the worst hitters in baseball at that point — only saw his stranglehold on the starting job strengthen. 

That move — or rather lack of move — sure looked smart when Wells took that second-inning at-bat and drove in the only run the Yankees would need. 

The Yankees’ starting catcher (and with all due respect to Ali Sánchez, their only catcher) breathed even more life into his revitalized season in the Yankees’ 9-0 statement of a victory over Boston in The Bronx to move one win from an ALDS date with the Rays. 

“By no means was it surprising,” Ben Rice said of Wells, who went from virtually unplayable to a catcher the Yankees will ride for as long as this postseason run lasts. 

Before the Yankees ran away late in the game, their offense had started with promise but only promise: Prior to Wells stepping up for his first at-bat, the club had gone 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position and was threatening to waste another opportunity. In the frame, George Lombard Jr. singled, moved to second on a one-out knock from Anthony Volpe and then watched as Spencer Jones fouled out for the second out. 

But the lefty-hitting Wells — who batted .122 with a .436 OPS against southpaws this season — ripped a hit through the right side of the infield, giving the Yankees a lead they only padded from there. 

Wells added a second single off a lefty — Alec Gamboa in the seventh inning, plus a sacrifice fly in the eighth against Brayan Bello — to make it two hits off southpaws in the postseason, which is remarkable for a player who had 11 hits (in 99 plate appearances) against such pitching all season. 

“I think just overall I’m feeling better, seeing the ball well and just competing up there,” said Wells, who has been a different hitter since a stint on the injured list in June with cervical headaches. 

Those 15 days sidelined, when he could heal, refresh his mind and tweak his swing, may have saved his job and Yankees future. 

“In the moment, [I] didn’t realize how much it was affecting me,” Wells said of the headaches, “but taking the time and getting back and feeling healthy, I feel like I can see the ball a lot better.” 

He felt better on the other side of the injured list, but the results did not arrive immediately. And his inability against pitching of all types through the middle of July ensured the Yankees at least tested the trade market. He was hitting .152 with a .501 OPS on July 19. As much as they valued his rapport with pitchers and his defense, he had nearly become unplayable. 

And yet Wells kept playing, made steady progress and showed enough in late July and early August to dissuade Cashman from overpaying in prospects. 

At a time when catchers typically are wearing down, in August and September, Wells posted his two best months of the year. 

And even though the date read Sept. 29, he showed Tuesday why October may further his revival.