How Marcus Stroman's Intensity Might Wake Up The New York Yankees
The New York Yankees have had a rough month of June baseball despite being a 50-plus win team in the MLB. From blowout losses to offensive slumps and injuries, it looked like a repeat of the past two seasons of Yankees baseball. The Yankees took a beating in their series loss against the New York Mets. Their series-opening loss to the Toronto Blue Jays extended New York's losing streak to four games. That was until starting pitcher Marcus Stroman was noticeably furious on the mound during the second game of the series. This moment changed the game's trajectory and could be a potential shift in attitude for the Yankees for this next month of baseball.
Marcus Stroman Shows Passion To Win With The New York Yankees
In the bottom of the fifth inning, the bases were loaded with no outs. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a ground ball that looked like a potential double-play opportunity for the Yankees, but second baseman Gleyber Torres was not fast enough to get Guerrero Jr. out at first base. Stroman looked visibly frustrated and yelled out at Torres, exclaiming, “Throw the f***ing ball, bro!”
Stroman was taken out of the game where he yelled in the dugout. Stroman mouthed, “Have a little intensity bro. A LITTLE BIT! A LITTLE F****ING BIT BRO!”
Stroman’s intensity and fire motivated the Yankees to pick their chins up as they gained six runs in the top of the sixth inning. This might be what the Yankees need to pick themselves up during these rough summer months of baseball.
As the game continued, Aaron Judge and Marcus Stroman were both seen talking together in the dugout, speculating that Judge was trying to calm Stroman down and not be too hard on the infielders.
Later on, Gleyber Torres hit a home run where he was first greeted by Stroman as Torres was heading towards the dugout after running the bases. Stroman's admiration for Torres after the home run showed that there was no ill will between the two and that Stroman just wanted the best out of Torres.
Stroman explained in his post-game interview that the yelling was only because of his passion to win and nothing personal against Gleyber Torres.
A Potential Positive Turning Point For The Yankees
Stroman's intensity is what the team needed. The Yankees are coming off a horrible month of baseball, winning only two out of seven series. The Yankees must trudge through the summer as best as possible, and losing games will only make things worse.
Injuries happen, but it should not excuse the Bronx Bombers from losing important series or losing series that are winnable on paper. With the trade deadline around the corner, it’s clear that the Yankees need to make some changes.
While the incident is in the rearview mirror, the Yankees split the series against the Blue Jays, winning their last matchup 8 to 1. The Yankees can only expect that the intensity of Marcus Stroman helps turn things around for themselves in July.
A 5-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds was not the start that the Yankees wanted. New York did show some fire though, scoring four runs in the sixth and seventh innings after starting the game down 5-0.
Yankees’ fans hope to see a change in attitude and a shift in energy within these players to get back into winning games and aiming for that illustrious 28th championship.