Yankees infielder DJ LeMahieu didn’t shy away from his choice of words after getting hit by Mariners reliever Kendall Graveman.
The disappointing 2021 season for the Yankees has left team’s personnel and fanbase frustrated. Most won’t be shy to share and vent their feelings, but among the more reserved regardless of the struggles is infielder DJ LeMahieu.
The 32-year-old isn’t known for showing his emotions on the field, but that wasn’t the case during Thursday’s loss against the Mariners in Seattle. Trailing 4-0 in the ninth inning, LeMahieu was hit by a 96 mph fastball from reliever Kendall Graveman.
LeMahieu didn’t appreciate that.
It didn’t seem intentional, but as mentioned, most of Yankees nation is probably on edge given their current place in the standings. On the verge of getting shut out, the last thing anyone wants is to get drilled by a mid-90’s heater on a game that is seemingly out of reach.
Everyone is frustrated on the Yankees including DJ LeMahieu
The loss snaps the Bronx Bombers’ three-game winning streak, and drops their record to 44-42 this season. New York now sits nine games out of first place, and 4.5 games behind a Wild Card spot.
At this rate, it may not be long before the Yankees consider selling at the deadline rather than risk future pieces of their team for the sake of climbing back into the playoff picture.
As for LeMahieu, the frustration may also be attributed to the “down” season, by his standards of course. After back-to-back seasons of a plus-300 batting average, LeMahieu is slashing just .272/.348/.370 with seven home runs and 34 RBIs through 368 plate appearances this season. His .718 OPS is also the lowest in his career since 2014.
Those numbers are mostly skewed from a slow month of May. In the last 28 days, the former AL Batting Champ has posted a .323 batting average and .882 OPS. There’s no need to worry about the production from LeMahieu, however, the same can’t be said for the others struggling in the Bronx.