The Yankees will end the first month of the season with a modest 1.5-game lead on the American League’s best record. Both the Yanks and the Rays—who are right behind them—are off today, so New York already knows that May will begin with them in front by a game and a half in both the AL East and the Junior Circuit in general. The Rays themselves are three games clear of anyone else, so it’s nearly five for the Yanks.
This success is due in large part to their league-best team ERA, FIP, and fWAR as a pitching staff. Of course, with good pitching comes good defense doing some of the dirty work — something Yankee pitchers enjoyed plenty of during the month of April. So, why not take a look back at the finest leather flashes in the month of showers as we barrel ahead toward the “flowers” part of the year?
Also, they won’t all be profiled here, but give an Honorable Mention to the Yankees’ starting rotation, which executed pickoffs in four consecutive games from April 24-27, with Will Warren, Ryan Weathers, Luis Gil, and MLB active career pickoffs leader Max Fried doing the honors.
April 3: Bellinger bobbles, hangs on
On a play that maybe looks only mildly impressive to the naked eye, the wonder in this play must be seen in slow motion. After retreating to make a leaping grab, the ball actually kicked off the heel of his glove, destined for the ground, only for Bellinger to make a no look stab at the ball below his hips. To everyone’s surprise, including his own, the ball found the leather, and Bellinger had recorded a circus-style first out in the ninth inning.
April 8: Jazz goes full extension
There are few plays as satisfying as an infielder going parallel to the ground beneath them to snare a liner. In a 2-2 ballgame against a fairly potent A’s lineup, Jazz Chisholm Jr. did just that. Nick Kurtz golfed a line drive just short of 100 mph toward the hole on the right side, with the go ahead run on first base, only for Chisholm to go full extension and put a wrap on the A’s half of the sixth, keeping the game tied. Depending on how the ball rolled, there’s a chance his acrobatic play saved a run.
April 11: Something about Cody Bellinger and walls
Although not quite as unique as his first entry in this list, Bellinger made more than one terrific play on the warning track during the month of April. With no outs and a runner on base in a 1-1 game against the Rays, Fried served up a towering fly ball to Yandy Díaz, nearly sending it into the seats. After likely flirting with the upper apparatus of the rebuilt Tropicana Field, the ball found a jumping Bellinger, who secured the ball near the top of the wall in left field, once again helping Fried, and keeping this game tied up.
April 22: RyMac makes a leap in Fenway
In an apt follow-up to Jazz’s diving play to the glove side, his fellow infielder matched him with a similar play to the other side. With the Yanks leading a game in the eighth inning against the Red Sox, old friend Isiah Kiner-Falefa lined a ball down the third base line, well on its way to the corner of the Monster, before the ever-slick Ryan McMahon dove barely above the ground, fully extended, to make the back-handed play. Not only did it help protect New York’s 4-0 lead, but it also preserved Fried’s shutout to that point. Although McMahon struggled to get his bat going across the season’s first month, he remained a humanhighlightreel at the hot corner.
April 28: Fernando Cruz from his back
In yet another tight ballgame, defense once again came through to keep things at bay for the Yankees — on more than one occasion. This time around, with the Rangers threatening with a pair of runners on, Joc Pederson laid down a fairly decent bunt trying to get them into scoring position with less than two outs. Intent on keeping the lead, Fernando Cruz charged, slid to back hand the ball, and in one fluid motion, threw to third base for the force out from the seat of his pants. Beyond the incredible play from Cruz, getting the out also required McMahon to secure a handcuffing one-hopper. It was an all-around terrific play, and helped the Yankees maintain their narrow lead in Texas.
COVERS INTEL: Guerrero owns a .403 batting average and a 1.027 OPS against the Twins’ current pitching staff.
