Austin Wells Shines for the Yankees in Wild Card Series

The Yankees are relying on Austin Wells behind the plate, valuing his skills in receiving and working with pitchers. This was evident during their Wild Card series against Boston, where they faced a tight match that culminated in a 4-3 loss at home on Wednesday night.

At some point, though, they really needed his bat to show up in the playoffs. In fact, he struggled in the previous postseason and didn’t perform well in the Game 1 loss on Tuesday.

But Wells stepped up when it counted, delivering a crucial hit in the bottom of the eighth with two outs. He connected on a pitch and sent Jazz Chisholm Jr. racing home from second base.

“I just got a great pitch to hit,” Wells noted about the 3-2 changeup thrown by Garrett Whitlock, a solid performer on the mound.

The pivotal moment followed a lengthy, seven-pitch at-bat, during which Whitlock didn’t seem to find his rhythm. Chisholm managed to slide across just before Carlos Narvaez’s tag.

“I was really hoping he would steal,” Wells shared, looking back on the play. “I was just waiting to see him cross the plate.” His wish came true after he had a tough outing in Game 1, where he didn’t get a hit and faced a strikeout.

Reflecting on his earlier performance in the playoffs against Kansas City, Wells had struggled, but he also had some noteworthy contributions, including key hits and RBIs. It’s a mixed bag, really.

On Wednesday, he managed to pull off a .435 OPS in postseason play, which—let’s be honest—seriously trails behind the norm for players with similar playoff plate appearances.

A year ago, Wells expressed frustration about how he was repeatedly dealing with strikes in the zone, feeling like he wasn’t making the necessary adjustments.

During the World Series, he was sidelined in favor of Jose Trevino, but he bounced back with strong performances in critical games. On Wednesday, Wells faced off against Boston’s Breyan Bello, quickly making an impact and demonstrating his capabilities.

Wells continued to show resilience; Aaron Boone had previously voiced his confidence in Wells’s abilities on both offense and defense, reiterating that he seemed to be improving at the plate.

Despite concerns about his strikeout rate, Boone planned to keep Wells in the starting lineup for the upcoming game against Cam Schlitler, largely due to his rapport with the pitching staff.