Major League Baseball
The New York Yankees are once again bringing the good times in the Bronx
Major League Baseball

The New York Yankees are once again bringing the good times in the Bronx

Published Aug. 20, 2021 2:00 p.m. ET

By Jake Mintz
FOX Sports MLB Writer

Welcome to Good Times.

Every week, we focus on three things from the previous week in baseball — fans, managers, players, teams, cities, fan bases or mascots — for which the times were good.  

Let’s get right into it.

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1. Yankees World

The inevitable has happened. The New York Yankees are back. It was only a matter of time. The fourth law of thermodynamics states that if the Yankees have good baseball players on their roster, they will eventually win a bunch of baseball games. That’s just how this works.

For a big chunk of the season, things in the Bronx were not running smoothly. There were injuries upon injuries upon injuries. The starting pitching, beyond Gerrit Cole, was somewhere between fine and underwhelming, and the offense, a unit that was supposed to steamroller its way through the American League, struggled to put runs across.

Back in April, when the "lowly" Yankees were 5-10 after 15 games and some displeased fans were booing and throwing stuff on the field, I wrote an article explaining the concept of Yankenfruede, in which Yankee haters (or Yankee dislikers, as many neutral baseball fans are) soak up the glee of Yankee dysfunction whenever possible. That's necessary because at some point, the pinstriped juggernaut in the Bronx will figure itself out and start demolishing everyone again.

Well, here we are. The New York mother-trucking Yankees, winners of seven straight and 17 of their past 21, are firing on all cylinders. The Bronx Bombers have already leapfrogged their Boston rivals and now have sole possession of the top wild-card spot in the American League. Despite their hot streak, however, they still trail the inexplicable and unstoppable Rays by five games in the AL East.

Even so, if the Yankees' recent run is any indication, that five-game deficit could be made up in no time if Tampa slips even an inch – because the vibes are undeniably back in Yankee World. The boisterous, vibrant, un-mess-withable, confident aura that oozes from every true Yankee fan you’ll ever meet has returned. There’s an edge again, a certain inevitability that revolves around this franchise when the going is good. And even if you’re a Yankees hater, there’s no denying that Yanks fans add energy, texture, fervor and passion to the baseball world.

Thursday against their eternal character foil, the poor Minnesota Twins, the Yanks rolled out their ultimate big boy, redwood tree, offensive line, brick s---house lineup. That’s right: Aaron Boone managed to squeeze Luke Voit, Aaron Judge, Anthony Rizzo, Joey Gallo and Giancarlo Stanton into the batting order at the same time.

What a shocker, the team scored seven runs.

There have certainly been some bumps along the way – the Asher Wojciechowski and Nestor Cortes starts come to mind – and there are some gents still on the injured list, but THE baseball team has finally put things together in 2021.

It was bound to happen. There is no surprise here. The ultimate baseball villains have returned, as strong as ever, and they and their fan base are having an absolute ball back in the sun.

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2. Kolten Wong and Yadi Molina

Everyone knows that if you try to steal a base against Yadier Molina, you’re gambling against God. The 39-year-old has been one of the best defensive catchers in baseball forever now, and even as he gracefully slides into the twilight of his career, the future Hall of Famer still boasts a cannon for an arm.

For some basestealers, swiping a bag against one of the greatest to ever do it has to be a point of pride. It's an unforgettable moment, sneaking a cookie out of the cookie jar and getting away with it. But for Brewers second baseman and former longtime Cardinal Kolten Wong, taking second on Yadi seemed to be the single best moment of his baseball career.

The two played together in St. Louis for eight seasons before Wong joined the Brewers this past offseason. You have to think there was some good-natured ribbing in the Busch Stadium clubhouse about whether Kolten could steal a bag off of Yadi. I’m glad the two of them finally got the chance to live out the showdown.

To be fair to Molina, this was an incredibly difficult pitch to throw on. Picking a bouncer in the dirt and firing it on point to the cusp of the bag is not something you see often. I almost think these two need to battle it out again, on a more straightforward pitch, to really see if Wong would be safe.

What I truly love about this moment, though, is how it cut the tension during an otherwise fierce night of baseball. The Cardinals have been hot recently, clawing their way back into the fringes of the NL wild-card hunt, just four games back of the Padres, while the Brewers are trying to secure the NL Central crown as soon as possible.

These are two good teams locked in a meaningful matchup. For two genuinely good buddies to have a lighthearted moment amidst that energy is the exact type of baseball thing I love. Both are intense competitors, but even in the heat of competition, you can exhibit joy and have a good time. That's wonderful stuff.

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3. Brett Phillips

Sometimes after a pitcher throws a no-hitter or perfect game, he'll buy the catcher from that outing a nice bottle of booze or a fancy watch. For instance, after he threw his no-no last year, White Sox starter Lucas Giolito got James McCann a custom timepiece with McCann’s name engraved on it.

But I’ve never heard of anything like what Rays outfielder, smile-proprietor and regular in this column Brett Phillips did for his third-base coach, Rodney Linares, last week.

As is the case with everything Brett Phillips-related, his first inside-the-parker of the season earlier this week was absolutely electric. After Orioles center fielder Cedric Mullins misplayed the ball in center, Phillips really had to turn on the jets to score.

Pulling off an inside-the-park homer takes a lot of good fortune, a little bit of speed and, crucially, a willing accomplice at third base. Phillips can’t race home if Linares throws up the stop sign. 

We love a dreamer coaching third, and we love a guy like Phillips, with a wonderful, other-centered gift giving streak. Good times all around.

For more up-to-date news on all things Rays, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!

Jake Mintz is the louder half of @CespedesBBQ and a baseball analyst for FOX Sports. He’s an Orioles fan living in New York City, and thus, he leads a lonely existence most Octobers. If he’s not watching baseball, he’s almost certainly riding his bike. You can follow him on Twitter @Jake_Mintz.

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