PHILADELPHIA – Catchers are taught that their most important work appears outside the box score, responsible for guiding pitchers and controlling the running game. Austin Wells found some comfort there, but he has never stopped believing in his bat.
Wells launched the longest home run of his career, an opposite-field blast that traveled a Statcast-projected 430 feet, and Jasson Domínguez also went deep in the Yankees’ 3-1 victory over the Phillies on Saturday at Citizens Bank Park.
“I’m getting to a spot where I can see and recognize the ball and get myself into some better counts,” said Wells, adding, “The ball’s a little bigger right now.”
The Yanks’ third consecutive win was tinged by concern for All-Star outfielder Cody Bellinger, who stroked a tiebreaking hit in the sixth inning but injured his left hamstring on an eighth-inning double.
With the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline approaching, the Yankees are said to be in the market for an upgrade at catcher, plus bullpen help.
General manager Brian Cashman recently said that he considered the team’s catching to be “an issue, clearly,” and multiple reports have identified the Twins’ Ryan Jeffers, the Reds’ Tyler Stephenson and the Rockies’ Hunter Goodman among their potential targets.
It could be difficult for many players to block that out, but manager Aaron Boone said he believes Wells has done a nice job of handling the noise.
“He knows he can hit, and he believes he’s a better hitter than he’s shown this year,” Boone said. “That’s tough to deal with. But he’s also mature enough and advanced enough in his career that he understands the importance of being behind that plate every single day, and your role in limiting runs.”
What’s more, Boone has been seeing encouraging signs from Wells at the plate, beyond just his third-inning blast off Brian Keller.
“I’m not making it up,” Boone said. “The last couple of weeks – obviously, the homer is great. That’s an on-time, aggressive swing. You see the power the other way. … Hopefully, this is him inching closer to being who he knows he can be.”
A local delicacy may be to thank for Wells’ power display. Last season, Wells started a fun side project: an Instagram account (@wells.ranked.burritos) which he used to rank burritos in road cities.
This weekend, a Phillies visiting clubhouse employee asked Wells why the account had gone dormant. Wells replied: “No one has made one good enough for me to put up there.”
To entice Wells, the employee produced a cheesesteak burrito. Wells sampled it, made his first post since last September and went deep. Coincidence?
“It was so different, I had to put it up there,” Wells said. “It was good. It was really good.”
After tossing back-to-back shutouts, the Yankees came within one run of a third straight blanking, something they haven’t done since June 6-8, 1962.
“We have different ways of beating you, but the biggest thing that’s kept us in there is the run prevention side,” Boone said. “That’s allowed us to hang in there as we’ve gone through some struggles offensively.”
There was no drama about it, as Philadelphia touched Ryan Weathers for a first-inning run. Trea Turner was hit by a pitch, Kyle Schwarber doubled and Bryce Harper lifted a sacrifice fly.
But Weathers settled in, striking out seven over 5 2/3 innings. The left-hander scattered six hits with one walk, completing at least five innings for the second time in five starts.
“We added some more four-seamers at the top to change some eye levels, and we were executing pitches at a pretty high rate tonight,” Weathers said.
Domínguez lifted a solo homer in the seventh off José Alvarado, which marked Domínguez’s seventh homer of the season and his second off a lefty.
“This season, I feel much better,” Domínguez said. “Getting hits, getting homers, even getting walks – it’s a huge boost for my confidence.”
Angel Chivilli, Paul Blackburn and David Bednar combined for 3 1/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen, with Bednar working a perfect ninth for his 20th save.
“The bullpen has been phenomenal,” Weathers said. “As starters, we just keep the team in the game, knowing we have a really good bullpen right now. They came in and closed it out tonight.”
