TORONTO – As his teammates posed for a team photo in the Yankee Stadium outfield late Thursday evening, Cody Bellinger was absent from the frame, propped up in the trainers’ room as he received treatment for a bruised left heel.
Bellinger appeared briefly during the bubbly clubhouse celebration and seemed to be moving with discomfort. He said the injury was “nothing serious,” characterizing it as “minor aches and pains.”
“A little limp, but I’m going to be OK,” Bellinger said. “Off-day [Friday], I’m going to get some good treatment and will be ready to roll Saturday. … We’ve got a really good training staff here.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Friday that Bellinger aggravated the injury while scoring from second base on Amed Rosario’s fourth-inning single, part of a four-run inning for the Bombers.
“He just kind of jammed his heel a little bit when he was rounding third,” Boone said. “He should be all right. He should be good to go.”
Candid Cam
Cam Schlittler revealed new details regarding his performance in Thursday’s Game 3 Wild Card Series start against the Red Sox, which he described as “personal.”
Schlittler said his mother, Christine, received hostile messages from Red Sox fans ahead of first pitch.
About 40 minutes before taking the mound, he said, he was walking on a treadmill and advising his parents how to handle the situation. Schlittler’s mother’s account has been locked from public view.
“Being from that area, I wasn’t really expecting it to go that far,” Schlittler said. “It’s part of the game, but fortunately that stuff was brought to my attention. They’re just trying to get under your skin, but I thought they crossed the line a little bit. At the end of the day, there’s not much they can say now.”
That’s because Schlittler dominated the Red Sox over eight scoreless innings, striking out 12. He said he used the online trolls as fuel for the performance, saying, “That just kind of lit the fire a little bit. I was able to go out there and be a little more locked in than I usually am.”
Schlittler said he heard from friends back home who simultaneously congratulated him on the outing while lamenting the end of Boston’s season.
“I told them that was exactly what was going to happen,” Schlittler said. “They’ll get over it. Hockey season is coming up. Basketball season is coming up. So I’m sure they’ve got other things to distract them.”
And Schlittler didn’t shy away from tossing a few barbs up north. As the Yankees celebrated, he posted on X just after midnight: “Drinking dat dirty water,” a reference to the Red Sox victory song, The Standells’ 1966 hit, “Dirty Water.”
“I think they learned their lesson,” Schlittler said.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Schlittler is “a tough kid” who has already shown he is capable of handling pressure – both on the field and online.
“Social media can be an ugly place sometimes, unfortunately,” Boone said. “We try to prepare our guys and obviously support our guys in so many different ways, but Cam is broad-shouldered, confident, clear-eyed. I don't think he’s going to be affected by much.”
Thanks for the assist
In reviewing the video of his dazzling, over-the-railing catch in the eighth inning of AL Wild Card Series Game 3, Yankees third baseman Ryan McMahon recognized something he didn’t in real time – a helping hand in the visiting dugout.
“I don't remember it too well. I watched the video,” McMahon said. “I saw [pitcher Greg] Weissert in there. I think I would have had a pretty nasty fall if he didn't grab me before that -- so thanks to him.”
McMahon said he “woke up fine” on Friday after the Yankees’ early-morning arrival in Toronto, with no lingering soreness from the spill. That’s surprising, considering he hit the rail at full force after snagging Jarren Duran’s foul pop, then toppled down the steps.
“I've gone over the railing a couple of times, but nothing like that magnitude, in a game like that,” McMahon said. “Like I told you guys last night, with Schlitt rolling the way he was, I was just trying everything I could to get an out for him.”
Acquired from the Rockies in July, McMahon has fulfilled his goal of firming up the Yanks’ hot corner defense thus far, and hopes to contribute more as the postseason continues.
“It's been fun, man,” McMahon said. “Getting in the playoffs, it's the purest form of baseball. You don't care about your numbers. You don't care about how you do individually. It's just about winning ballgames, man. It's been a lot of fun.”