Hours before the July deadline day, the Yankees traded pitcher Jordan Montgomery for outfielder Harrison Bader, who was on the Cardinals’ injured list. This led to an uproar, as the pitcher got better results for his new team while Bader was unable to play when the Yankees had their worst summer slide.
But it looks like Harrison Bader is making a last-ditch effort to tip the scales back in the Yankees‘ favor, and the postseason might be the best time for him to do so.
Harrison Bader faced off against Cal Quantrill of the Cleveland Guardians in the bottom of the third inning on Tuesday. Quantrill got ahead early in the at-bat by throwing two quick strikes to put the count at 0-2. Bader got back on track by calling balls on three straight pitches outside the plate.
Then, on the sixth pitch, Harrison Bader drove a rocket to left-center field. This was a response to Steven Kwan’s home run in the first half of the inning.
Harrison Bader’s name is now in the Yankees’ record books because of this. He was the first player in the history of the team to hit his first career home run for the team during the playoffs. This shows that Bader has ice in his veins.
Since the trade, the 28-year-old outfielder has only had 49 at-bats for the Yankees. During that time, he was a net negative. Since moving to Yankee Stadium, he has hit .217/.245/.283. But he hit a big home run on Tuesday after manager Aaron Boone put his faith in him.
Harrison Bader has had trouble with injuries for a lot of his career, so this could be the turning point. He shut down the critics, who were after him during his injury, and refused to join the issue with them
Now fans of the Yankees know what Bader can do. Harrison Bader does a good job on the bases and in the field, and if he can get back into the hitting groove he had in 2018 and 2021, the Yankees will be an even bigger force to be reckoned with.
Cardinals fans will either be sad or proud to see Harrison Bader. Also, Matt Carpenter, who came up through their system, do well with the Yankees in the playoffs. Still, they can rest easy knowing that Jordan Montgomery, who had a 3.11 ERA with St. Louis, will be a key part of their starting rotation for many years to come.
Do you think Harrison Bader has finally arrived on the scene and there won’t be any more criticism of his trade?
