Cody Bellinger didn’t have to look far to find the fix.
After a rough throwing mistake earlier in the week, the Yankees left fielder went right to work. He talked it over with Austin Wells, checked the video and saw exactly what went wrong: his release was late. Once he corrected that, the payoff came Friday night in the Yankees’ 1-0 win over the Red Sox in the opener of a four-game series.
The biggest play of the night came in the eighth inning, with Boston threatening to tie the game after Paul Goldschmidt’s third-inning homer had given New York the only run it would need. Ceddanne Rafaela singled, Wilyer Abreu followed with a ground-rule double that sent Rafaela to third, and then Willson Contreras lifted a flyball to medium left. Rafaela tagged and tried to score, but Bellinger’s throw was perfect.
The ball bounced about 10 feet in front of the plate, hopped straight to Wells and set up an inning-ending double play. Wells caught it on the outside of the plate on the third-base side and tagged out the diving Rafaela.
“It was pretty terrible,” Bellinger said of the earlier throw that had let Jose Altuve score from second on a hit to left field in a Yankees-Astros game two nights after he returned from the injured list last Sunday.
After that play, Bellinger said he and Wells worked through where the first bounce needed to land. He also watched the video and saw that his release point was off.
“I released it super late,” Bellinger said. “I made the adjustment from there.”
That adjustment showed up in a hurry. Aaron Boone made sure Bellinger knew it, too, greeting him in the dugout with a simple, “That was better.”
“That was a good one,” Bellinger responded.
Boone praised the way Bellinger stayed under control and got behind the ball with momentum, then fired a low throw. The velocity backed that up: 99.7 mph, the third-fastest outfielder assist throw by a Yankee since Statcast began charting 11 years ago, behind only Aaron Hicks’ 105.5 mph throw from center field in 2015 and Aaron Judge’s 100.5 mph throw from right in 2018.
Goldschmidt, who watched the play unfold from the field, said the throw fit the moment.
“I knew it was going to be tough with Rafaela over there at third, one of the fastest guys in the league,” Goldschmidt said, “but Belly showed out the type of athlete he is.”
He added, “As a defender, he’s just so good,” and called him “almost like underrated.” Goldschmidt also pointed to the arm strength and accuracy that Bellinger showed on the play, noting that the throw was kept low so the runner at third wouldn’t be able to advance if the tag at the plate had been late.
The play only added to the case that Bellinger should be in line for another Gold Glove. He won one as a Dodgers right fielder in 2019, and he believes he’s better now. Since joining the Yankees in 2025, he said the work on his first step has made a difference.
“Last year they really helped me with my first step,” he said. “I’m able to you know get better jumps and the arm, the throws, I’m always working on it. I’m always trying to keep my arm strength.”
Baseball Savant’s numbers back up the eye test. Bellinger has a plus-6 Outs Above Average rating, second among 35 ranked left fielders behind the Rays’ Chandler Simpson, who is at plus-7. His six outfield assists also match a career high set last season.
Bellinger said the move to mostly left field has helped him settle in. He has made 88 starts there this season, compared with 14 in center, two in right and one at first base. Last year, he split time more evenly across the outfield, making 59 starts in left, 48 in right and 38 in center, along with three at first base while Jasson Dominguez was part of the mix for the first four months.
“One position, you get the reps consistency, consistent little arm release,” he said. “But wherever they play me is where I’ll be.”
That likely means left field, even after Aaron Judge comes back from the injured list sometime in the next two weeks or so.
“He does a really great job out there,” Goldschmidt said.
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Since the trade, Rutschman has struggled badly at the plate, hitting .133 in 45 at-bats and posting a weak overall line that has only sharpened the scrutiny on the deal. The glove still gives Boston something to point to, but with the bat not following and the prospect package already out the door, this is the kind of gamble Yankees fans can enjoy watching from a distance. [Read more 🡒]