The Yankees advanced to the ALDS with some help from Cody Bellinger, but it may have come at a cost.
Bellinger doubled and scored the game’s first run in the bottom of the fourth of the Yankees’ 4-0 wild card series-clinching win over Boston Thursday night in The Bronx, but he slid awkwardly into home plate on Amed Rosario’s RBI single.
Later in the game, he could be seen limping — especially on a groundout to first base in the bottom of the seventh.
After the inning, Bellinger walked slowly through the infield before gingerly jogging out to left field, where he finished the game.
It’s believed to be a left foot injury. Bellinger said it wasn’t a soft tissue injury, without elaborating.
More importantly, the left fielder said he would get treatment Friday and be “ready to roll” for Game 1 of the ALDS in Toronto on Saturday.
“I am OK,’’ Bellinger said.
Bellinger’s versatility has been huge for the Yankees all season and his athleticism was on display again Thursday, when he used his speed to get to second on that fourth-inning double.
Prior to his good fortune in having the pop fly to center drop in, the Yankees had mostly been manhandled by Boston rookie left-hander Connelly Early, who’d pitched three scoreless, mostly dominant innings.
But after Bellinger snuck into second, the game unraveled quickly for the Red Sox and Early.
Early walked Giancarlo Stanton. After Ben Rice struck out for the first out of the inning, Rosario smacked a single to left.
A hard-charging Jarren Duran got to the ball, but his throw home wasn’t strong and Bellinger beat it for the game’s first run.
“I had a good jump,’’ Bellinger said. “I was glad I was able to get there.”
The Yankees ended up adding three more runs in the inning thanks to an RBI single by Anthony Volpe, as well as a hard grounder by Austin Wells that scored two runs when Nathaniel Lowe couldn’t handle the ball at first base and it bounced into shallow right.
Bellinger’s exploits were his latest contribution in what’s been an excellent first season with the Yankees after coming over in a salary-dump trade from the Cubs during the offseason.
He can opt out following this season — and certainly will — but thanks to Thursday’s victory, Bellinger and the Yankees have more work to do.
With the ALDS beginning Saturday in Toronto, the Yankees will hope to have Bellinger at full strength.
“We call him the collector,” Aaron Judge said. “The guy just collects hits. It could be a backside single where a ball falls in or a three-run homer. He always gets on base, and for him to hustle out of the box and get to second base was key.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
