Yanks homer in 26th straight, passing 1941 club
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NEW YORK -- Step aside, Joe DiMaggio and the 1941 Yankees. The 2019 Bronx Bombers claimed a piece of history on Sunday afternoon, claiming the franchise's longest consecutive home run streak to date.
DJ LeMahieu slugged a three-run homer in the fifth inning of Sunday's 9-4 loss to the Astros, marking the Yankees' 26th straight game with at least one home run. LeMahieu's shot, his 10th of the season, was the first three-run homer that Justin Verlander has surrendered in a Houston uniform.
"Everybody says it's the short porch, but guys are putting together good at-bats, and that's what is great about this team, that we can hit a home run at any point," Luke Voit said. "It doesn't matter who's pitching, if it's first inning or last inning. It's pretty cool.
"DJ has been hot right now, so a slider low and away he can punch out there for a three-run homer, it's pretty impressive."
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Having eclipsed the 1941 club's franchise record of 25 straight games with a homer (June 1-29, 1941), the Yankees can equal the Major League record of 27 with a home run on Monday against the Blue Jays. That record is held by the Rangers, who accomplished the feat from Aug. 11-Sept. 9, 2002.
"We've got a great lineup and a lot of guys that can hurt you," manager Aaron Boone said. "It's one of the ways we're built.”
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Additionally, the Yankees have not been shut out in 159 consecutive games, which surpasses the Tigers' 158-game streak (July 17, 2011-July 16, 2012) for the Majors' longest in the last 18 seasons. It is the seventh-longest stretch since 1900 and the longest since Texas had a streak of 160 games to open 2002.
The Yankees have assembled their current streak despite having Edwin Encarnacion, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton combine for two homers – both hit by Encarnacion this past week. Since May 26, when the streak began, Gary Sanchez leads the club with eight homers. Gleyber Torres and LeMahieu have hit six each.
"I think we do a really good job, especially in this ballpark and especially with our right-handed hitters, of being able to use the entire field," Boone said. “When you play here, it's important if you're going to hit for consistent power. Our guys do that really well."