TAMPA — Cody Bellinger belongs on the Yankees, not just 1) because he has the perfect left-handed stroke for the Stadium’s short porch or 2) because he superbly plays three of the four positions the Yankees needed most.
It’s that hard-to-believe Bellinger family record that makes this a perfect match. If there’s anyone as successful as the Yankees at getting to the World Series over the years, it’s the Bellinger clan.
They are baseball’s version of the four-leaf clover. Cody’s already played on three World Series teams in eight big-league seasons, and he isn’t nearly as fortunate as his dad, Clay, who’s tied for baseball’s all-time champion of October, at least by percentage.
Just how lucky was Clay Bellinger? He’s one of only three players to play at least four years, and all for World Series teams (the 1999-01 Yankees and ’02 Angels). This is trivia known only by the Elias Sports Bureau, but the only others to go 4-for-4 in reaching the World Series are infielder Mike Gazella, who did it with the Yankees between 1923 and ’28, and pitcher Kemp Wicker, who did it between 1936 and ’41 with the Yankees and Dodgers.
