Since joining the Yankees prior to last season, Cody Bellinger has drawn praise from his coaches and teammates for his defense.
There have been highlight-reel worthy plays and the catch and throw to double off Francisco Lindor at first base during the Subway Series last July that helped end a five-game losing streak — and begin a five-game winning streak.
There’s no telling what lasting impact Bellinger’s heads-up play in Sunday’s 2-0 win over Tampa Bay will have, but it clearly changed the course of a game the Yankees could hardly afford to lose.
With the Yankees locked in a scoreless game and having lost three straight — as well as all four previous meetings against the Rays this season — pinch runner Oliver Dunn was on second base and Junior Caminero on first with two outs.
With the runners going on a 3-2 pitch from Fernando Cruz, Ryan Vilade singled to left, and Tampa Bay was on the verge of taking the lead before Bellinger — instead of firing home — threw to Ryan McMahon at third base.
It was in time to get Caminero at third, and the tag was applied before Dunn got to the plate, so the game remained tied.
“That was a game-changing throw,’’ said Aaron Judge, who won the game in the ninth with a home run. “It was heads up.”
And it was heads up from several people.
Aaron Boone credited outfield coach Luis Rojas for bringing Bellinger in slightly before the play “with something like that in mind.”
Then Bellinger had to get to the ball quickly and fire to third off the wet grass, and McMahon picked the ball and finished the play.
Bellinger said it was “all [McMahon]. I picked my head up and Mac had a huge target at third. I threw a pretty nasty sinker. He did a great job to pick it and tag him. Once he tagged him, I didn’t think the run had scored.”
A review confirmed the out at third, and that the tag beat Dunn to the plate.
Bellinger called the play “huge” and added he didn’t consider throwing home, knowing the runners would be going on the pitch with a full count.
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“You really don’t have a chance at home,” Bellinger said. “I tried to throw the ball to [McMahon] as best I could. It wasn’t easy out there.”
McMahon called the play “all reactionary.”
“I started to run in to cut off the throw home, and as I was going there, I remembered they were on the run, so I had to go back to third,” McMahon said. “I felt [Bellinger] was pretty close and I was able to get the ball. Knowing we should be down 1-0 and was still tied instead was big.”
The Yankees didn’t score in the bottom of the inning, but Tim Hill tossed a scoreless ninth before Judge ended it with his 17th homer.
“It was a really heads-up, great play by a great defender,’’ Boone said.
