Jose Trevino hit a two-run homer to tie the game and hit what would have been his sixth home run of the year.
But the Yankees catcher didn’t need a bat for the most memorable and impressive play of the afternoon.
In Sunday’s 7-2 win over the White Sox in the Bronx, Trevino’s brains and arms produced an inning and a jam-ending pickoff.
Carlos Rodon was already in a pinch in the second inning, allowing two runs and trying to send Zach Remillard to third base with two outs.
On a two-strike count, Martin Maldonado successfully checked the swing, but just when most thought the play was over, it was just beginning.
Trevino caught Rodon’s pitch and appealed to first base umpire Trip Gibson, but other than Trevino and third baseman John Bartee, all eyes were on the first base side.
“I was looking at the check.[-swing] Give me a call,” Rodon said. “I think [Remillard] I was looking there too. ”
Berti turned his back on Trevino and snuck in behind Lemirard, who couldn’t see where the catcher was looking.
Trevino’s glove was facing first base, but he stood up, threw across his body and behind Remillard, who was casually approaching the bases.
Berti hit the tag and ran off the field for an out, Trevino’s first successful back pick of the season, saving Rodon from danger.
“Him and Berti are really heads up there,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Pay attention to the small things.
“So many little things happened this year in different situations, and those little treasures of victories helped you along the way.”
Trevino praised Berti, saying he “did a good job,” but when asked for a follow-up on whether Berti signaled the play, Trevino flatly refused to reveal the Yankees’ secret publicly.
“Trevi is paying attention as always and so am I,” Barty said. “I’m trying to read the runner on third base and take advantage of the opportunity with two outs.”
Trevino, who is in his seventh year as a pro and is one of the best defensive catchers in baseball, said it was the first time in his career that he appealed to one side and threw the other.
The fact that he did it with Berti (an acquisition from the Marlins in a late March trade) is a great way to get to know his Yankees teammates in camp and see if they’re on the same page about plays like this. The fact that he was traded in late March from the Marlins, who had lamented that they didn’t have time to do anything about it, made it even more so. of difficulty.
Berti and Trevino, neighbors in the clubhouse, didn’t need spring training to come together for their smartest play of the season.
“Maybe I got that power by being rocker buddies,” Trevino joked. “We’re starting to connect that way.”