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Blend of youth, veterans working for Yankees
- Updated: August 27, 2016
NEW YORK — Just when it looked like the Yankees had cashiered the season, many of their new acquisitions and younger players have kept them in contention for a playoff spot.
With rookie catcher Gary Sanchez pounding the ball, the Yankees are still in control of their own fate as the season nudges closer to Labor Day.
Heading into this weekend’s three-game series against American League East rival Baltimore, the Yanks had 30 of their final 36 games against division rivals.
That the Yanks still have a serious pulse is not surprising, said Orioles skipper Buck Showalter, who began his managing career in the Bronx. The Yanks, at 66-61, are now five games over .500 for the first time this year after opening the season 8-16.
They’re 3 1/2 games behind the Orioles for the AL’s second Wild Card spot and 4 1/2 games in arrears of the Red Sox for the first spot.
“It’s kind of like the perfect storm for them,” Showalter said before the Yanks clobbered the Orioles, 14-4. “The expectations are lower. They can relax. A lot of the newer people here have energized them.
“Their kids are playing with the kind of abandon you like to see. They’ve got nothing to lose, and they’re trying to make their mark. They’ve got a clear direction. Brian [Cashman] and Joe [Girardi] must be excited about it.”
Sanchez hit his 10th homer and drove in four runs, giving him 20 RBIs in 20 games since he was recalled from the Minors on Aug. 3. But that’s just the half of it.
Stranger things have happened. In 1995, for example, the Yanks were 53-58 on Aug. 26 after losing eight games in a row. Under Showalter, they won 26 of their last 33 to clinch the AL’s first Wild Card slot, losing their Division Series in five games to the Mariners.
“It took a long time for us to get going that year,” Showalter recalled. “When we did get going, we had one of the best finishes the Yankees ever had. We were very proud of …
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