For the first time, there were nerves, anxious moments when the young Yankees weren’t sure if they belonged, wondered if they were going to freeze up.
No, this wasn’t a baseball game, it was live national television, on the MLB Network, where seven of the “Baby Bombers” — catcher Gary Sanchez, outfielder Aaron Judge, first baseman Tyler Austin, utility man Rob Refsnyder, pitchers Luis Severino and Ben Heller, and injured first baseman Greg Bird — were special guests for the early-afternoon “MLB Central” show.
“It’s a little more stressful,” Judge said before the Yankees’ 2-0 win over the Blue Jays on Wednesday night at the Stadium. “It’s a little more nerve-wracking.”
But as has been the case for these rookies, they handled it fine.
They were interviewed by analysts Al Leiter and Mark DeRosa, and hosts Matt Vasgersian and Lauren Shehadi while participating in various segments. It included a game called “Central Scribble,” in which two teams were created with the players having to draw and guess the names of players and figures in Yankees history. That part was a struggle.
“I’m not very good at drawing,” Sanchez said through a translator. “I’m good at baseball.”
It was just the latest big moment for the group of youngsters who has helped keep the Yankees in the playoff race, just over a month after the team shipped out veterans Andrew Miller, Aroldis Chapman and Carlos Beltran.
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“This is what you dream about as a kid,” said Austin, who hit a key two-run, opposite-field home run in Tuesday’s dramatic win over the Blue Jays. “You want to be put in the big situations, you want to be the guy that comes in and hits the big home runs or strikes out the last guy in a game.
“For me, I’m just trying to come in and have fun, regardless of what’s going on. I’m not trying to put any extra pressure on himself. It’s the same game I was playing at Double-A or Triple-A, High [Single-A], just a few more people there, and it means a little more now.”
For years, the Yankees either didn’t develop young players or traded them for established stars. But there has been a change in philosophy, a determination to get younger. When the veterans were shipped out and Alex Rodriguez was bought out, the Yankees went for youth, a move that already has paid off. The farm system is ranked near the top of the sport, thanks to those aforementioned trades, and since the trade deadline on Aug. 1, the Yankees are 20-13.
“It’s awesome. It’s so much fun,” Bird said while on the air. “It’s something we’ve been talking about, working toward for a long time. To see it happen, it’s exciting.”
They’ve had different levels of success, led by Sanchez, who has gotten off to a remarkable start, hitting .348 with 11 homers and a 1.136 OPS through his first 30 games. Austin also has gotten hot lately, six hits in his previous 18 at-bats while Severino has been very impressive out of the bullpen after struggling as a starter.
“The thing is, the [young players] here we played together for so long, now we’re here, it helps you relax,” Sanchez said. “At the same time, during spring training, I met a lot of the veterans and I played with them. You feel comfortable.”
That doesn’t mean it’s become normal yet, either. This wasn’t necessarily expected to happen.
“I still think we’re dreaming, to be honest,” Judge said. “It’s a great time to be a Yankee.”