NEW YORK — It was about two weeks ago that Cody Bellinger looked earnestly into the flawed mechanics behind his slow start in pinstripes, presenting the following question for the coaching staff: “Why am I chasing pitches?”
They popped the hood, peeked inside and offered a few crisp suggestions, addressing his balance and reminding him what to look for. Those changes, subtle at first, have sparked the longest hot streak of Bellinger’s career.
After delivering a two-run double in the first inning, Bellinger capped a six-run eighth with his ninth career grand slam as the Yankees surged for an 8-2 victory over the Mets on Sunday evening at Yankee Stadium, securing the rubber game of the Bronx Subway Series.
The Yankees’ eighth-inning rally began in understated fashion, an 11-pitch Jorbit Vivas at-bat producing a grounder to first base that Pete Alonso air-mailed home, allowing Jasson Domínguez to dive home safely. Paul Goldschmidt followed with an insurance run, cashing a single to center field that chased Ryne Stanek.
A walk and a strikeout later, it was Bellinger’s turn again, already riding a career-best 13-game hitting streak. Standing tall with his bat cocked, Bellinger pounced on a 97.1 mph Génesis Cabrera fastball and clubbed it over the right-field wall, a swing that sparked a party for anyone wearing pinstripes and a train ride home for many fans in orange-and-blue.
