New York Yankees getting peak Harrison Bader in postseason

After making a deal with the St. Louis Cardinals to acquire him at the trade deadline, the New York Yankees had to wait more than six weeks for an injured Harrison Bader to make his debut. However, when he was finally healthy enough to join the team, he has made his presence felt.

New York Yankees seeing a streak like never before from Harrison Bader

With his solo shot off Houston’s Justin Verlander in the second inning of Wednesday night’s ALCS opener inside Minute Maid Park, the New York Yankees outfielder has now done something that he never did while he was wearing a Cardinals uniform for five-plus seasons.

The home runs have come at the perfect time for the Yankees as they needed Bader’s pop to help them survive in five games against the Cleveland Guardians in the ALDS, and will need that power to compete with Houston’s big bats in the ALCS. The Astros hit three home runs in Game 1 on Wednesday night to grab the first game between the two American League titans.

Bader hit a career-high 16 homers in 367 at-bats with the Cardinals in 2021, so power may never have been his biggest calling card. New York pulled the trade deadline deal for him (sending pitcher Jordan Montgomery to St. Louis in a much-debated discussion) to help solidify their outfield defense. However, it took a while for Bader to make an impact in the field or at the plate as he recovered from plantar fasciitis that he sent him to the injured list in late June. By the time he came off the injured list, almost three months had passed and he had switched teams.

As good as Bader has been in recent games, it will take more than his personal-best streak for the Yankees to solve the thorn in their sides that is the Astros. That quest continues on Thursday night in Game 2 in Houston, with first pitch scheduled for 7:37 p.m. (Eastern)