NEW YORK – Cody Bellinger spent countless hours fine-tuning his swing and logging defensive reps to prepare for his first season wearing Yankees pinstripes, but it was only as Opening Day approached that he realized an important box was unchecked. Fortunately, he knew the perfect person to call.
“Hey Dad,” Bellinger asked his father, Clay, “What did you do for ‘Roll Call?’”
The elder Bellinger, proud owner of two World Series rings from the club’s millennium-era dynasty, chuckled as he recounted the conversation. Sure, he recalled offering the Bleacher Creatures a wave of his glove during his first start in left field, an April 14, 1999 game against the Orioles at the old Yankee Stadium.
Those memories came flooding back for Bellinger, 56, as he and his wife Jennifer watched their son collect his first Yankees hit and RBI in Thursday’s 4-2 win over the Brewers. It made for an unforgettable family day, with Cody Bellinger’s wife, Chase, and their daughters, Caiden and Cy, also in the house.
“Just seeing him get introduced in the lineups, running out on the field and then getting the roll call was pretty cool,” Clay Bellinger said in a telephone interview. “I said, ‘Give [the fans] a little salute, and let them chant your name a couple of times so you can soak it up.’”
From center field, the cacophony of noise was louder than Bellinger expected; the chants of his name somehow got lost on their way from Section 203.
“We were at dinner last night; he said he didn’t even hear them calling his name,” Clay Bellinger said. “He thought they were doing [Aaron] Judge first, so it went on for a little longer than he thought. Then he gave them a little pound of the chest, and all was good after that.”
Playing for the Yankees had been a “dream come true” for Clay, an infielder/outfielder who grew up cheering for the team in Oneonta, N.Y. Called up to the Majors in 1999, he played a complementary role on Joe Torre’s star-studded rosters, sharing a clubhouse with the likes of Derek Jeter, Paul O’Neill, Tino Martinez and Andy Pettitte.
Cody was there, too, though his memories are hazy. The family’s camcorder video library preserved those moments.
“I know he was running around the family room with the Pettittes, the O’Neills, the Martinezes,” Clay Bellinger said. “We might have gone out on the field a few times and played a little catch. The fondest memory I have is after we won, being on the floats for the World Series parades. I know he remembers that.”
Clay Bellinger briefly reunited with Pettitte on Thursday outside the home clubhouse, asking if the left-hander had been throwing warm-up tosses to prepare for his ceremonial first pitch. He also heard from former teammate Chuck Knoblauch, who sent a congratulatory text message shortly after the Yankees acquired Bellinger from the Cubs in December.
In discussing that trade, general manager Brian Cashman said he expects Bellinger’s power to be boosted by playing 81 games at Yankee Stadium (plus six more at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla.), where the 314-foot short porch beckons for a left-handed hitter who likes to pull the ball in the air.
Like his son, Clay Bellinger isn’t outlining statistical goals for the next 161 games, but he’s hoping to enjoy watching a healthy and productive season.
“We talked about that the other day. He’s like, ‘You know what, Dad? I’m not going to even think about the right-field porch, because my swing is in a really good place right now,’” Clay Bellinger said. “If he keeps doing what he’s doing swing-wise, the home runs will happen. He knows that if he does what he does, he’s going to have a good year.”