Andrew Velazquez Plays Hometown Hero In Yankees Win
A Bronx native, Andrew Velazquez pictured himself playing shortstop for the Yankees—and against the Red Sox—growing up.
“I probably imagined that a million times,” the 27-year-old said shortly after the dream came true at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday afternoon. The Yankees infielder not only started at short against Boston, but he played a huge part in a crucial, 5-3, win.
Velazquez put the Yankees on the board first in Game 1 of a split doubleheader, plating two with a two-out, bases loaded single in the second inning. About 11 of Velazquez’s family members were in attendance for his first RBIs in pinstripes. He pointed to them in the crowd when he reached first base.
The family also witnessed two sparkling defensive plays involving the Fordham Prep product.
The first came in the first inning when Boston tried to take advantage of the shift. Following a single, Hunter Renfroe rounded second and bolted for a vacated third, but Velazquez managed to keep pace. With his back turned to the Red Sox outfielder, Velazquez caught a submarined throw from Luke Voit before making a diving tag. The athletic chase allowed the Yankees to avoid a two-out jam early in the game.
“I knew I could probably beat Renfroe in a foot race over there, but Lukey lead me over there like a quarterback and I was a slot receiver,” Velazquez said. “So that was pretty nice.”
The other defensive highlight came in the sixth inning when Velazquez backhanded a softly hit grounder and made the throw to first on the run. It wasn’t quite Derek Jeter throwing in mid-air, but Velazquez made a pretty play nonetheless.
Besides, he already knew No. 2’s jump throw is not in his wheelhouse.
“I’ve tried the jump throw a bunch, but through the minors I’ve figured out I can’t do it like Jeter does, which not a lot of people can,” Velazquez said. “I just don’t get enough on the throw when I jump. I figured [out] a good way to do it on the run and that’s just what came out.”
A few innings later, Velazquez celebrated his first win over the Red Sox as a member of the Yankees. His manager wasn’t all that surprised to see him contribute.
“We saw this in spring training. We saw a guy that we all liked,” Aaron Boone said, adding that Velazquez’s defense, versatility and speed grabbed the coaching staff’s attention. “At Triple-A this year, he’s put together a really strong season and earned this opportunity. It’s good to see him come up here and contribute.”
It remains to be seen how much longer Velazquez will get to play in the borough he grew up in. That depends more on Gleyber Torres’ recovery from a thumb injury than it does Velazquez’s performance.
A light hitter through 68 MLB games with Tampa Bay, Cleveland and Baltimore before initially joining New York in January, Velazquez said he signed with the Yankees partly due to their reputation for developing hitters. As Boone alluded to, Velazquez enjoyed offensive success at Triple-A before being called up, slashing .283/.367/.471 with seven homers and 43 RBI for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
He has three hits in 19 big league at-bats so far.
Naturally, the one that produced two runs against Boston on Tuesday is Velazquez’s favorite.
“Just another day, better seats,” he joked when asked about a game that gave him “chills.” Then he get serious for a moment.
“It was like the culmination of a lot of things,” Velazquez said. “A lot of hard times in baseball, but a lot of good, too. That one hit alone made everything worth it.”
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