Donovan McNabb and the State of Football
The Bronx Bombers are living up to their nickname in 2022, riding their booming bats to the top of the majors.
On Monday, the Yankees belted another three homers in a road victory over the Orioles, their MLB-best eighth game with at least three — a trend largely responsible for 21 wins in their last 25, a 5.5-game division lead over the Rays, and the best record in baseball (26-9).
New York’s pitching staff has been stellar — an AL-best 2.72 team ERA — but the bats have led the way, specifically those of Anthony Rizzo (10 HRs), Aaron Judge (10), and Giancarlo Stanton (12).
The Yanks have allotted a combined $56 million of their AL-leading $246.1 million payroll for their Big Three — and each slugger has delivered.
- Stanton ($23M), Judge ($17M), and Rizzo ($16M) all rank in the top eight in homers, RBI, and slugging percentage in the AL.
- It’s the first time in franchise history — 8th all-time in MLB — that three Yankees have hit 10-plus HRs through the first 35 games of a season.
- The Bombers lead the AL in HRs (52), OBP (.325), slugging (.424), OPS (.749), at-bats per HR (22.21), and run differential (+73) — scoring a league-leading 51.4% of runs via the long ball.
While the Bombers have secured Stanton (through 2028) and Rizzo (through ’23) for the time being, they notably didn’t extend Judge before the season — which could come back to haunt them next year if he demands a deal north of $200 million.
For now, a sixth consecutive postseason trip seems inevitable for the Yanks, who still seek their first World Series win since 2009.
They have the best odds to win the AL pennant (+275) and second-best (+600) to win the World Series behind the Dodgers (+475).
