Yankees Lead Majors in Home Runs After Latest Blowout Win
Early on this season, the Yankees were struggling mightily on offense.
They couldn't string hits together, their numbers with runners in scoring position were abysmal and New York was having trouble hitting the ball out of the ballpark.
For a team that was doomed last year by offensive inconsistencies, a sluggish start was a cause for concern. Did the Yankees do enough this offseason to avoid a similar result this year?
While it's still very early, the Yankees have emphatically erased those doubts here in the final week of the season's opening month.
Exploding for a dozen runs in a rain-shortened 12-2 win over the Royals in Kansas City on Friday night, New York has now scored double-digit runs in four of their last five games. Plus, swatting four more home runs on Friday night, the Yankees now lead Major League Baseball with 29 long balls this season.
The Yankees have hit 18 of those home runs in their last seven games. It's not a coincidence that New York won all seven of those contests, sweeping the Guardians and Orioles in a perfect home stand before starting a three-game set in Kansas City with a bang.
New York wasted no time on Friday night, picking up where they left off on Thursday afternoon in the Bronx. The first four hitters in New York's lineup were all over Royals left-hander Kris Bubic in the top of the first, with first baseman Anthony Rizzo and right fielder Giancarlo Stanton both homering in the frame to give lefty Nestor Cortes some run support.
For Rizzo, it was his league-leading ninth big fly of the year and the first homer of his career at Kauffman Stadium. To go along with a 1.094 OPS this year, Rizzo is tied for second in baseball with 21 RBI.
Over the next few frames, the offense continued to put the ball in play with hard contact. Then, in the seventh, they broke through once again, pouring on nine more runs. Aaron Judge put the game away for New York with a three-run homer.
"Up and down this lineup, we've got guys that can spray the ball around the field, we've got the guys in the middle that are going to hit homers," Judge told reporters in the clubhouse after the win. "It's impressive. I think that's what makes this team different than other years, having that diversity throughout the lineup."
It's far too early to say this team has figured it out on offense. New York needs to keep it up into the month of May when they face off with contenders like the Chicago White Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays.
But for a team that was sitting in fourth place at this time last year, it's got to be a confidence boost for New York to be racking up wins and finding results between the lines. Entering play on Saturday, the Yankees are in first place in their division with a 14-6 record, the best in the American League.
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