NEW YORK – The well-struck drive hooked toward the right-field line in the ninth inning on Wednesday night, and a worst-case scenario could have easily flashed through Cody Bellinger's mind. If that ball touched grass, the game would have been tied, and the Yankees’ outfielder recovered from an early stumble to attempt a do-or-die catch.
Bellinger left his feet, stuck his right hand up and felt a sweet smack against the pocket of his leather glove. Rolling onto his back, Bellinger raised both arms and savored the adulation pouring from the grandstands, having preserved the Yankees’ 4-3 victory over the Royals at Yankee Stadium.
“That might be my first game-saving catch, I’m not sure,” Bellinger said. “I was glad I came down with it. I had a little awkward second step there, and my head was bobbing a little too much. But I had a good beat on it and I saw the way the ball was going. I was just glad I was able to catch it and get the win.”
“Wow. That’s the reason he’s got gold on his glove,” Aaron Judge said of Bellinger, who won a National League Gold Glove Award with the Dodgers in 2019. “Very few people make that catch, especially in a big moment like that with the game on the line. To lay out there and extend it for the team, that was pretty impressive.”
The Yankees carried a one-run lead to the ninth inning after Judge’s go-ahead home run two frames prior. They asked right-hander Fernando Cruz to record what would become his first career save on a night when both Devin Williams and Luke Weaver were unavailable, having pitched in three of the club’s previous four games.
A two-out Maikel Garcia walk and a wild pitch put the potential tying run in scoring position, and when Cruz fell behind MJ Melendez with a 2-1 count, he leaned on his best pitch – a splitter which has proven to be a devastating swing-and-miss weapon. But Melendez made contact, sending a 100.9 mph liner in Bellinger’s direction.
“I thought I had tied the game, but they have a good outfield,” Melendez said. “[Bellinger] took it away. They took a couple of hits away from us. It was unfortunate."
Bellinger covered 43 feet in 3.5 seconds to make the play, according to Statcast; Melendez’s ball had a hit probability of 43 percent. Bellinger said he was “definitely anticipating” the ball would be hit to him.
“I just felt like with the matchup, I didn’t know if it was going to be a ground ball or a fly ball, but I was just anticipating the ball,” Bellinger said. “Wherever it was, I wanted to make the best first jump. Obviously, I’m glad I was able to come down with the catch.”
In the Yankees’ dugout, manager Aaron Boone said he whipped his neck toward the outfield, shouting: “Come on, Belli!”
“I thought it was really tough, because he was stumbling out of the gate at it,” Boone said. “To kind of maintain his balance and concentration and square it, because Melendez hit it well – but I think once he started stumbling, it made it especially difficult. I saw that thing stick in the glove and I was pretty fired up. Great play.”
Bellinger’s defensive versatility was a selling point in the Yankees’ acquisition of the 29-year-old from the Cubs this past December. Boone and general manager Brian Cashman both said they could envision Bellinger playing any one of the outfield positions, and thus far he has seen time at all three, with first base also in his tool kit.
“He’s such a good athlete,” Boone said. “He’s so good, wherever you put him.”
The catch capped a solid contest in which Bellinger also contributed a run-scoring double, a work day that began many hours earlier. Carrying a .180 batting average through his first 14 games as a Yankee, Bellinger logged extra swings before Wednesday’s game, hoping to fine-tune his timing ahead of the club’s upcoming trip.
“I feel good. I think I’m putting in the right work and understanding my process,” Bellinger said. “Ultimately, if you’re doing everything right and preparing right, good things are going to happen.”