NEW YORK — After missing two games in a row, DJ LeMahieu took to the field against the Twins on Sunday. He was outmatched in his first turn at bat by Pablo Lopez, who got the better of him on two sinkers below the strike zone.
But it was the last time the pitcher tormented him. LeMahieu was on a vengeance when he returned to bat. He hit the Yankees’ only homer in the game and gave them a 2-0 win.
LeMahieu’s revenge
On his second turn at bat in the third, LeMahieu took a first-pitch sinker well inside the strike zone after another trip to home plate with two runners on.
He did not let his afternoon go downhill. Instead, LeMahieu turned things around by making a change against Lopez. The right-next-hander’s pitch was another sinker that bit back to the inside corner. Dj pulled his hands in and hit an RBI single into shallow right field with two outs and Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo in motion. This gave the Yankees an early lead.
He kept doing this for the next two innings. LeMahieu got on top of a high fastball and hit a solo home run to right field with two strikes to start the sixth. It was a classic “short porch job” and his second home run of the year. It gave LeMahieu some extra insurance while ace Gerrit Cole threw a no-hitter and struck out 10 batters.
LeMahieu ends injury concerns
Emilio Pagan, a Twins reliever, got LeMahieu out in his last at-bat of the day, but not before he hit a lineout to center field that went 104.3 mph.
“DJ being the great hitter that he is was able to make a little bit of an adjustment,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after the game. “Just a good look at a really, really great hitter, making some in-at-bat, in-game adjustments. And then obviously he was the difference for us offensively.”
LeMahieu recently missed a few games because of tightness in his quads. This is a red flag for an aging infielder whose production dropped dramatically at the end of last season when he was hurt in his foot. Since LeMahieu’s return to the starting lineup, he’s had three hits in two games, bringing his batting average for the season to .283. He has played in 12 games in 2023 and has scored 10 runs for an OPS of .896.
The soft-spoken veteran confirmed that he felt completely normal after returning to the starting lineup. Those quad worries seem to be a thing of the past.
“It was one at bat and I felt back to normal,” LeMahieu said. “Feel good and I’m happy to help us out today.”
Stanton’s injury puts focus on LeMahieu
Giancarlo Stanton will be out for a while with a strained hamstring, so the Yankees need LeMahieu to stay steady and make up for him. He can get hits when runners are in scoring position and set the stage for those who come after him. This makes him a valuable and versatile player that Boone can use at the top or in the middle of the lineup.
As Josh Donaldson‘s impending return from the disabled list may complicate the infield playing time equation, Boone isn’t concerned about putting everyone in the starting lineup. LeMahieu will play every day until he suffers another injury.
“DJ is gonna play all the time,” he asserted on Sunday. “DJ plays all the time, JD will play on time, Gleyber will play all the time. We get so ahead of ourselves on this. They play, they’re in there.”
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