The New York Yankees thrashed the Minnesota Twins on Saturday by a 7-1 final, extending their winning streak to a season-high nine games in a row. The Yankees can credit sluggers Giancarlo Stanton and Luke Voit for each driving in a pair of runs, as well as ace Gerrit Cole for delivering six shutout innings. But the one contribution that Yankees fans might hold dearest saw utility infielder Andrew Velazquez launch his first career home run to continue an improbable run.
Velazquez, a 27-year-old Bronx native, entered Saturday without a home run in his first 143 big-league plate appearances. (He had homered seven times this year in Triple-A.) He changed that in the eighth inning by hitting a solo homer off Twins reliever Ralph Garza. Take a look:
Per Statcast, Velazquez's shot traveled 359 feet and left the bat with an exit velocity of 101.9 mph. Those numbers pale in comparison to, say, the average homer hit by the aforementioned Stanton or Voit, but it gave Velazquez yet another unlikely moment in what's proven to be a week full of them.
Dating back to August 17, or last Tuesday, Velazquez has now driven in six runs in his last 17 at-bats. Said stretch includes a pair of two-RBI contests as part of a three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox. That's notable because, even now, Velazquez has only nine career RBI at the big-league level. (He also entered Saturday with an OPS+ of 67, suggesting he's picking his spots well.)
Velazquez, it should be noted, was never supposed to be in this position. Originally signed as a minor-league free-agent in January, he appeared to be little more than organizational depth. Yet Velazquez has received the opportunity because of injuries to starting shortstop Gleyber Torres and third baseman Gio Urshela, as well as reserve Miguel Andújar.
