— Aaron Boone, a former major league third baseman, has a saying for the way Gio Urshela plays third base with such calm and aplomb. “It’s like he’s getting into a warm bath,” Boone, the Yankees manager, has said several times this season. But when the next batter, Whit Merrifield of the Kansas City Royals, chopped a ground ball toward third base, even the sure-handed Urshela was helpless. “But it took a bad hop and nothing I can do.”From his knees, Urshela watched the speedy Billy Hamilton score from second base to give the Royals an 8-7 walk-off victory. A combination of a large payroll, modern baseball smarts, a deep roster and unheralded players have carried the Yankees despite many absent stars.

Source: New York Times May 26, 2019 23:44 UTC