The Yankees have clinched a much-needed series win against their rival Rays, who have tormented the Bombers over the last two seasons.
For the Yanks, their second straight victory comes with greater odds than just their recent history of struggles at Tropicana Field. For this particular series, New York had a bigger obstacle to overcome: playing beneath the lingering shadow of mounting positive COVID-19 tests, which reached seven before the Yanks took the field on Wednesday.
“There’s no question that part of it has been nice, because there has been a lot swirling around us,” manager Aaron Boone said of his team’s recent success amid multiple breakthrough positive cases. “Easy distractions or unknowns a little bit when you wake up each day. But time to go out and perform and get ready for a game…and then going to play baseball between the lines, their focus has been excellent. It’s a tribute to their focus and professionalism.”
Third base coach Phil Nevin was the first confirmed positive, and then first base coach Reggie Willits and pitching coach Matt Blake also tested positive. With bench coach Carlos Mendoza coaching third and bullpen coach Mike Harkey sliding into Blake’s spot as the team scrambled to plug the growing holes in its coaching staff, the Yanks have kept on winning, in a place where winning had been tough as it is.
But for the Yankees, the ability to take the field with everything going on off the field has been just what they needed.
“Any time we get to play right now, it’s like a nice release,” Gerrit Cole said after turning in eight shutout innings on Wednesday. “The only thing we have to focus on is playing, so in a sense it’s simpler for us. We have to focus on winning the game. So we take our mind off of everything that’s happened over the last few days and we get to kind of take a break from it, because that’s our job.”
Cole led the Yanks to a big win on Wednesday, the team’s fourth in a row and second since the unexpected COVID outbreak began, but Cole credits those behind the scenes that have helped keep the team together and on the field while coaches have been forced to quarantine.
“The health is one thing, which we’ve gotten a lot of great news for the amount of people that have had positive or inconclusive tests up to this point,” Cole said. “Almost all of them have no symptoms, so the vaccine to a certain respect is working. But the training staff is so stretched thin, they’re like our heroes right now. Somehow holding it together with the logistics, rapid testing and getting people ready to play. They’re kind of the MVPs for us right now.”
The outbreak hasn’t been completely kept away from the players, as Gleyber Torres was forced to sit on Wednesday as he related test results, which Boone said was out of an “abundance of caution,” but aside from Torres, the Yanks have remained on the field and remained in the win column, in spite of the uncertainty and ever-evolving situation within the clubhouse.
“You’re thinking about people’s health and the guys in the trenches for us…and flipping those emotions when going to the field, you’re not quite sure you can do it,” Cole said. “But once you’re out there, it’s probably the most normal part of our day.”
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