Even the more level-headed fans can’t help but jump on the bandwagon of some exciting wins as the Yankees begin their 2024 campaign. We all know the relatively small significance of three games in a regular season of 162 — the Rays went 13-0 to start 2023 and didn’t win a playoff game or a division title — but no matter how you slice it, these wins mean more in their own way, and they do so for various reasons.
First and foremost, it all revolves around the current adversary. The Houston Astros have outright bullied the Yankees in this current era, and yes, nothing will ever be that satisfying until they overcome this hurdle in the postseason. However, it isn’t a stretch to consider this series victory a step in the right direction.
Think about the few constants for the Yankees over the last few years or so, and two names will come to mind: 2022 AL MVP Aaron Judge and 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole. New York has traveled to Houston and beaten the Astros at Minute Maid Park without a lick of help from both. Cole is obviously out for at least the first two months of the season with elbow inflammation, while Judge has gone a quiet 2-for-12 in these three wins despite his newly acquired protection in the lineup.
Three games do not determine a dependable trait for the year, but the level of resiliency shown by this team is terrific and the primary reason behind their triumphs. It’s the first time in 21 years that the Yanks have begun a campaign with three straight W’s, and all three of them have featured comebacks of some sort.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73245259/2126328747.0.jpg)
Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images
Amidst these games, one can pinpoint the confirmation of good expectations and also highlight positive outcomes one doesn’t necessarily expect to see continuing.
Nestor Cortes turned in a gutsy performance after a horrendous first inning with poor command of his heater. Anthony Volpe showcased the upside that made him one of the top prospects in baseball. Juan Soto was Juan Soto. These are all things we had on our Bingo card as potential determining factors in a great campaign — admittedly, nothing so specific regarding Cortes, but just general consistency.
Will Oswaldo Cabrera turn this into something more than just one glorious series in which he came out of nowhere with pivotal homers off Astros’ pitching? Unlikely, but even if he’s just able to hold down the fort until DJ LeMahieu is back healthy, that’s already a positive outlook.
It goes without saying Judge is fine. If there is a down-to-earth argument that Cabrera’s production is a fluke, this is also a two-way street. For all the things that might not be sustained, there is plenty yet to come on a positive note. Anthony Rizzo and Gleyber Torres haven’t done a lot either yet.
Too often in recent seasons, we saw this team struggle to give a proper response when things weren’t going well. In Saturday’s affair, fans witnessed the bottom-of-the-order bats punishing the likes of Bryan Abreu and Ryan Pressly, two of the more dominant relief pitchers in the AL.
Although Clay Holmes has looked far shakier than one would like, the bullpen as a unity is living up to the hype and then some, especially if you account for Tommy Kahnle’s absence. Jonathan Loáisiga and Ian Hamilton may not be as dominant as the Astros’ big three, but they’re getting the job done and showcasing valuable flexibility with multi-inning work.
So in a way that’s much more real as a fan of the game and the team, forget what to make of this start in the grand scheme of things for a minute, and enjoy one of the more exciting opening weekends in recent memory. May it continue this afternoon with a sweep.
