Harrison Bader shining in postseason despite initial skepticism

Harrison Bader’s trade to the Yankees was met with skepticism. Why did the Yankees trade a very effective and reliable starter in Jordan Montgomery for an injured outfielder?

Bader has made his presence known this week in the ALDS against the Cleveland Guardians with two home runs, including one Saturday night in Game 3 that gave the Yankees a 5-3 lead. We know what happened next: The Guardians walked it off in the ninth inning with former Mets shortstop Amed Rosario scoring the winning run. The Yankees are now on the ropes, facing a must-win Game 4 at Progressive Field on Sunday.

Bader’s 2-for-4 performance was not the main story but it was still a bright spot before a finish that manager Aaron Boone called “gut-wrenching.” Home runs are more important than ever in the postseason and there is evidence to support the fact that teams who hit more home runs typically have more success in the postseason and the Yankees got two big ones in Game 3, one from Bader and a monster, 449-foot home run from Aaron Judge, snapping his 0-for-8 streak.

“And then Judgy hit the homer, it does settle us a little bit and inject some life into us,” Boone said. “I felt we played a really good game from that point on.”

Cleveland’s comeback was somewhat unusual in that the rally consisted completely of singles. The Yankees probably made the right play in shifting on third baseman Jose Ramirez but he put the ball right where they didn’t want it to go, loading the bases with one out. Sometimes the right plays fail at the wrong time.

So, the key for the Yankees in Game 4 is to play to their strengths, which is the long ball. They hit more than any other team in the regular season with 254, 62 of which came from Judge. Bader wasn’t expected to contribute much when it comes to power, but he’s proven to have a knack for timely blasts this week.

The Bronxville native was acquired to help the defense more than the offense, with general manager Brian Cashman saying, at the time, he viewed Bader as outfield help in the postseason. Aaron Hicks struggled at the plate and had some major defensive miscues in center field as well, but Bader was still in a walking boot at the trade deadline, dealing with plantar fasciitis. He only played 14 games in the regular season in pinstripes and he hit just .217 with no home runs.

Bader has never been much of a home run hitter, with his career-high total of 16 coming last season. Yet he homered at Yankee Stadium in Game 2 in front of friends and family and snapped the Cleveland bullpen’s streak of 19 scoreless playoff innings with his blast off of left-hander Sam Hentges.

Cashman might be facing some scrutiny right now but Bader briefly made him look smart. It was a short-lived feeling as the Guardians stunned the Yankees, but if this team manages to push this series to five games then they’ll need all of the homer help they can get.

“It stings right now, and it’s raw,” Boone said. “You know, you’re frustrated because you’re so close to the end there, but we got to turn the page. It’s not allowed to be the case. We got to come out here. We got Gerrit going tomorrow. We expect to come out here and win.”

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