While the Yankees were ultimately unable to overtake the Tampa Bay Rays for the American League East title and thus the AL’s number one seed, they put together a splendid month of September, finishing 15-8. They did so while navigating a roster that was often in flux, welcoming some players back from stays on the injured list while others took their place. That volatility meant that the team rarely looked the same defensively from night to night. The Yankees were up to the challenge. Here are five of the best plays we saw from the Bombers in the field this month.
Here’s a nice way to start a list—and a ballgame. The first pitch Cam Schlittler threw in this start at Angel Stadium was hit hard by Zach Neto towards shortstop. With an eight-degree launch angle, it was sort of a tweener—not exactly a grounder, not exactly a line drive. José Caballero, though, read this tricky batted ball well. Somewhat off-balance, he was able to make a lunging stab on the first bounce, then aim a strong throw to first, where the veteran Paul Goldschmidt made a classic scoop to retire the hustling Neto and start the night off right. Schlittler would go on to complete eight superb innings.
George Lombard Jr.’s defense has been an obvious talking point since the young man came up to the Majors last month. He made a spectacular first impression the first few weeks, then endured some odd struggles at shortstop not long afterward. In September, though, the polished defender who was essentially MLB-ready years ago was the version of Lombard we typically saw. I don’t think any play he made this month quite matches some of the stunners he made in his first week and change, but this robbery of Bo Bichette was still excellent. His advanced coordination, agility, and strong arm are all on display here.
When Anthony Volpe made his return from the minor leagues, he began playing games at second base instead of his traditional shortstop position, where Lombard, as we saw in the previous clip, had already begun establishing himself in his absence. But the Fox still showed plenty of agility at the keystone, like on this grounder from Brett Baty which hopped off the pitcher’s mound. With his momentum carrying him into center field, Volpe was able to read the bounce off the hill, leap, and throw an absolute seed to first to record the out.
View Link18th: Jones makes sliding snare in the gap
Spencer Jones made no trivial number of nice catches in the outfield this month, but for my money this was his best. Tim Tawa ripped what looked to be a sure double into the left center gap, but the rookie outfielder quickly came to the rescue. Jones covered 69 feet in short order, then perfectly timed his slide and secured the catch to take away extra bases. Defensive metrics have been a bit down on Spencer, particularly in center field, but his great instincts still allow him to make plenty of pretty plays.
I see no better way to round out the list but with your regularly-scheduled outfield assist from Cody Bellinger — who even after losing a full month to injury has made a great case for his first Gold Glove since 2019. With the Rays putting the hit-and-run on, Bellinger tracked down a looping liner from Richie Palacios, then came up firing to catch Victor Mesa Jr. on his frantic retreat back to first base. Granted, this wasn’t the most accurate peg we’ve ever seen from Cody out there, but that just set up the back end of the highlight. Luis García Jr. had to drift a bit off the bag to receive the throw, but was able to scoop the ball and apply the tag on Mesa in one fluid motion as he tumbled to the dirt. This twin killing gave Carlos Rodón an extra boost as he went on to twirl eight scoreless innings.
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