Austin Wells’ home run completes unthinkable Yankees feat

Austin Wells was at risk of being the odd man out of the New York Yankees lineup. Every starter had one hit against the Baltimore Orioles except him, until he hit a solo home run in the ninth inning, joining the long list of Yankees who went deep in the game. Aaron Judge, Ben Rice (who hit two), Wells, Trent Grisham, and Cody Bellinger hit homers in a 15-3 blowout.

The Yankees got off to a great start in the game, making history by hitting three straight home runs to start the matchup for the second time this year. Grisham, Rice and Judge crushed home runs back-to-back-to-back, followed by Bellinger later in the first inning. They seized the lead and never looked back, extending their lead throughout the game.

It got to the point where Wells hoped to simply get a hit to join his teammates. Luckily for him, he got a good pitch to swing at, and it traveled 386 feet into the stands. He was the final Yankee starter who needed a hit to complete the sweep across the lineup, according to New York Post writer Greg Joyce. After a breakout season last year, the Yankees catcher has secured his spot behind the plate for Aaron Boone moving forward.

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Wells, along with many other Yankees, is having a great year at the plate. New York is critiqued for their use of torpedo bats, but the results speak for themselves. They are one of the league’s best offenses yet again and hope to go on another deep playoff run.

It is a good thing that the Yankees offense is humming. Ever since losing Gerrit Cole for the season, their pitching is less than what it could have been. Max Fried and Carlos Rodon are doing well, but Devin Williams is now fighting for the Yankees’ closer role.

Wednesday’s performance is a reminder of what the New York Yankees are capable of. However, they’ll need a balanced attack to avenge their World Series loss.