Chase Headley does it all. The new york yankees infielder has quietly amassed a strong season in pinstripes, a veteran performing well in a sea of young players. His veteran acumen comes in handy from time to time, but even he faced what seemed like an unmovable obstacle in Cleveland Indians ace Corey Kluber. Headley won that battle once on Monday night, however, putting his team in position to take down the mighty ace.
Yankees infielder hits homer
Indians pitchers have been allergic to home runs this season, giving up just 140 this season before Monday; only the Los Angeles Dodgers have surrendered less. Kluber has been particularly good in that regard, so the Yankees couldn't have expected much when Headley came to the plate in the bottom of the third inning. Kluber retired the first six batters he faced with ease, but against the seventh one, he gave up a home run that tied the game up at 1-1.
Beyond tying the game, the home run had particular significance for Headley. Heading into the night, he was 0-for-11 against the Indians ace.
After a weekend sweep of the Kansas City Royals, the Indians were working off a scoreless streak of 30 innings. With one fell swing, the Yankees ended that, matching Cleveland in a game that pitted two of the American League's best teams against one another just a month before the postseason.
Headley continues surprising stretch
The third baseman's numbers don't necessarily jump off the page. The solo shot was just his ninth home run of the season. He's batting .273 with 52 RBIs. By ESPN's calculations, he has been worth 1.5 Wins Above Replacement, which is just over half of what he was worth to the Yankees last season. If the team didn't face as many injuries as it has this season, Headley probably wouldn't be playing nearly as much as he is now.
But outside of a really troubling May, Headley has been solid each month of the season. In August, he has four home runs, which surpasses April for the most he's hit in a month this season. He has also now scored a run in three consecutive games. He's the kind of player who shows up for work each day, not always making the most valuable contribution, but remaining a steady presence for the team. The Yankees are going to need that as August turns to September and September turns to October.
For now, the Yankees should simply be happy that Headley was able to tie an important game with a shot off one of the best pitchers in all of baseball.