Clint Frazier's Night to Remember Was Years in the Making

NEW YORK — As the 11th inning unfolded Tuesday night in the Bronx, Clint Frazier already knew he was going to do something special.

The outfielder stepped up to the plate with two outs and the game-winning run on third in the bottom of the frame, quite possibly New York's final opportunity to steal a win from the red-hot Rays.

Frazier didn't just get the job done, he delivered in emphatic fashion, pounding a hanging slider from righthander Andrew Kittredge for a two-run, walk-off home run. Knowing the ball was destined for the seats as soon as it left his bat, Frazier took a long look before strolling out of the box, flipping his bat and hopping into his home-run trot.

He felt the need to soak up the moment.

"I wanted to really let that one sink in," Frazier said shortly after New York's dramatic 5–3 win. "It's been a tough year for me and to be able to do that was a lot. It's a really cool feeling coming around third base and seeing all those guys jumping up and down ready to embrace you."

Since coming over to the Yankees from Cleveland in the Andrew Miller trade in 2016, Frazier's tenure in pinstripes has been chock-full of tough moments.

Once a top-rated prospect, the outfielder was constantly relegated to a supporting role due to his injuries (including multiple concussions) and avenues to playing time cordoned off by star-studded teammates. It took four years since his big-league debut for Frazier to earn a full-time gig in the Yankees' outfield, when he was named the starting left fielder earlier this spring.

As Frazier alluded to, though, this season has featured its fair share of turbulence as well. After a brief four-game hitting streak to start the year, the 26-year-old went on to hit .103 (9-for-87) over his next 30 games. It was the kind of stretch that put his playing time in jeopardy.

One game won't wipe away those struggles at the dish. It's what went into Frazier's performance Tuesday night, however, that shows why the organization has faith in him to produce at a high level for years to come.

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The Yankees had squandered run-scoring opportunities in back-to-back innings, and were on the verge of doing so again. With Gary Sánchez on third and two outs in the 11th, it was Frazier's chance to knock in the winning run. The crowd at Yankee Stadium was as loud as it had been all night.

"You see a lot of guys go up there and swing really hard and the crowd oohs and ahhs because they think that a home run is coming," Frazier said. "I was just trying to stick within myself. I had a plan and an approach because Kittredge is really good. And obviously, things went my way."

That approach for Frazier was to hit the ball the other way, letting pitches travel a little bit deeper so he can stay inside the baseball. His bat speed has been the stuff of legend since his days as a prospect, so even if he waits longer to swing, he should have little trouble catching up to velocity. 

He didn't end up hitting the ball to the opposite field, but holding off for that extra split second allowed him to make solid contact and drive it into the seats.

There have been plenty of at-bats this season where Frazier has looked befuddled, falling behind with hearty cuts early in the count, trying to do too much. With the pressure to come through for the scuffling Yankees, he could've reverted into that same trap. That he didn't fall victim to the moment is the sign of a mature hitter.

Frazier's six-pitch walk with multiple close takes in the bottom of the ninth falls into the same category. Rather than chasing out of the zone to try and win the game with one swing, the outfielder extended the inning and got on base.

Frazier's growth as a defender also came up the clutch Tuesday. In the eighth, with two runners on, Joey Wendle skied a fly ball to shallow right field. If the ball touched the outfield grass, with Austin Meadows barreling home from second, Tampa Bay would've jumped in front.

Instead, Frazier tracked it down, making up for a late jump by laying out and grabbing it inches off the ground while completely horizontal. 

Over the first few years of his career, when he was a defensive liability, Frazier likely wouldn't have made that catch. His def odds are he doesn't make that catch. After countless reps over these last few seasons to improve his glove, Frazier made one of the biggest plays of his career.

"I've really worked hard at my defense and tried to make it something that people can't talk about for the wrong reasons anymore," Frazier said. "I'm just glad that the ball was able to stick in my glove."

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Before Tuesday night, Frazier had hit only one other walk-off homer in the majors. It was July 8, 2017, and he was playing in his sixth big-league game. The Yankees were trailing the Brewers, 3–2, in the ninth when Frazier turned on a 97.3 mph heater from Corey Knebel for a three-run shot—his first career home run at Yankee Stadium.

That blast looked almost identical to the game-winner Frazier hit nearly four years later. Frazier unleashed his signature bat speed, shooting his barrel shoot through the zone and ripping the ball to the same part of the left-field seats.

Another similarity: Frazier had struggling in the at-bats leading up to the 2017 game. He went 2-for-4 with a homer in his first MLB game against the Astros in Houston, but then went hitless over his next 11 at-bats. Something clicked in his final plate appearance July 7, when he tripled in the eighth inning of a 9–4 loss. He went 3-for-4 with another triple and the walk-off homer the next day. It was the start of a torrid stretch in which he went 17-for-53 (.321) with eight extra-base hits over 13 games. Perhaps he's due for another hot streak after Tuesday's dinger.

Despite all the two walk-offs have in common, Frazier is far different today than the wide-eyed rookie who came up clutch four years ago. This time Frazier, dripped in swagger, came up big for his team when they needed it most.

Beyond Frazier's recent surge in production—hitting .306 (11-for-36) in his last 11 games—and beyond his hard work to get to this point of his career, it's moments like these that show he belongs in pinstripes.

"It's a feeling that I'm sure that I won't forget just because of what we've been going through as a team, what I've been going through individually and we needed that win," Frazier said. "That one felt like it was written in the stars."

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