The night started with Cody Bellinger’s glove.
In a sentimental moment before Game 2 of the Wild Card Series, Bellinger caught the ceremonial first pitch from his father, Clay Bellinger, who played for the Yankees from 1999-2001.
But by the end of Wednesday night, it was the younger Bellinger’s bat that commanded the attention.
Bellinger went 2-for-5 with a home run and four RBI in a 9-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox in the Bronx, completing a lopsided two-game sweep as the Yankees advanced to the ALDS.
“I’m able to appreciate it in the moment,” Bellinger said afterward, reflecting on sharing the night with his father. “That was a cool moment, just a great game. Happy I was able to contribute, and we’ve got a lot more work to do.”
Continued contributions from Bellinger would go a long way in the Yankees making a deep postseason run, with the AL East-winning Tampa Bay Rays up next in the ALDS.
Bellinger takes on added importance with Aaron Judge sidelined indefinitely due to a calf strain.
He was one of the driving forces in the Yankees’ two-day demolition of the archrival Red Sox, whom they outscored 18-2. The All-Star went 3-for-8 in the series and delivered a pair of key hits in Wednesday’s clincher.
With Yankees leading by a run in the fifth inning, Red Sox manager Chad Tracy controversially removed right-handed starter Sonny Gray after 70 pitches with runners at the corners and two outs.
Tracy turned to the left-handed Erik Miller to face the lefty-swinging Bellinger, who delivered an RBI single that put the Yankees up, 2-0.
Then in the sixth, Bellinger capped a six-run rally with a three-run home run against right-handed reliever Garrett Whitlock — a 360-foot drive into the right-field stands that served as the dagger.
“He’s built for this,” Judge said Wednesday during a champagne-soaked celebration in the Yankees clubhouse. “He’s built for New York. He’s built for the big moment, and he continues to show up for us when we need him.”
Bellinger, who won the 2019 National League MVP and the 2020 World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers, is in his second season with the Yankees, having re-signed last winter on a five-year, $162.5 million contract.
Despite missing a month with a hamstring strain, Bellinger batted .264 with 17 home runs, 73 RBI and a .768 OPS in 132 games. He was worth 4.6 WAR (wins above replacement), in part because of his excellent defensive work in left field, too.
“This offseason, there were a couple of other teams involved,” Clay Bellinger said in August of his son’s free agency. “But I said, ‘If you can sign back with these guys, and you go out there and you win a world championship to add to this legacy, there’s no better place in the world to play baseball.’”
The elder Bellinger would know, as the former utility player won World Series with the Yankees in 1999 and 2000.
Now, the Yankees’ World Series aspirations rest in large part with Bellinger, who continues to carve out his own pinstriped legacy.
Despite hitting left-handed, Bellinger is actually better against left-handed pitching than he is against righties, making his bat even more crucial for balance in a Judge-less lineup that’s loaded with lefties.
The Yankees went 15-for-35 (.429) against left-handers in the Red Sox series, with Bellinger recording two hits in those matchups and another top-of-the-order lefty batter in Ben Rice totaling three.
“No secret sauce,” Bellinger said of his reverse splits. “For me, just take it as another at-bat. Felt like when I was playing baseball coming up, didn’t hear too much about the match-ups. I was just playing baseball.”
After hitting .214 in his first postseason with the Yankees, Bellinger is off to a .333 start to this one. Wednesday’s home run was Bellinger’s 11th in the postseason and his second in nine playoff games with the Yankees.
“I feel like I was able to enjoy that one,” Bellinger said. “Just a home game in Yankee Stadium, it’s a really fun atmosphere. It’s fun to play. And hopefully we get many, many more this month.”