‘Dangerous’ Yankees are about to get even better: Here’s how| Klapisch

Jazz Chisholm spoke for the group when he said, “we can’t wait” for Cole and Rodon to come on board. Best-case scenario? The two veterans act as mentors to Cam Schlittler and Will Warren, making run-prevention the pathway to the World Series.

Yes, of course it’s too early to be this over-heated. But I’m not alone thinking the Yankees have fallen into a perfect storm of good luck: weak field, unusually deep roster and the law of averages after 16 years of waiting for a ring. As my scout friend texted, “injuries could always change things but potential for (a) run-away is there. They’re dangerous.”

If ever there was an omen, it was deGrom’s inability to contain the Bombers despite a first-inning, 3-0 lead. DeGrom, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, is not the same pitcher from his peak Mets era. Gone are the days of his 100-mph fastball. But he still averaged 97.8-mph and generated 15 swings and misses.

But the more revealing stat was the Yankees’ relative ease catching up to deGrom’s heat. They whiffed on only two of his 23 four-seamers. That led to home runs by Ryan McMahon (second inning) and Chisholm (in the sixth). DeGrom was eventually knocked out in the seventh inning – no small achievement.

But all the Yankees could talk about was Rodriguez composing himself after allowing three runs in the first inning.

“Credit to Elmer for picking himself up,” Boone said. “He gave us 4 2/3 (innings) after a rough start … it could’ve really gotten away.”

The Yankees instead wore down the Rangers’ bullpen. It’s been the same Terminator-like efficiency over the last six series, with one asterisk. Bednar added 1-2 mph on his own fastball. He topped out at a season-high 97-mph fastball during a tense, bases-loaded, one-out jam in the eighth inning.

Bednar is still in the process of establishing his identity in the Bronx. He’s no Mariano Rivera, but there’ve been hints he could surpass predecessors like Aroldis Chapman and Clay Holmes. It help sthat Bednar is as jacked and thick as his nickname “El Oso” suggests – a bear of a man. All that’s been missing was a consistent four-seamer.

His velocity has been down a tick from 2025, hovering in the 95-mph range. But Bednar, appearing only once in the last six days, was a new man when he faced Corey Seager on Tuesday.

The rest might’ve been the reason Bednar was suddenly touching 97-mph. Maybe it was a tweak in his mechanics. Or else the slightly warmer weather. Bednar would only cryptically say, “I’m trusting the process” that restored his velocity.

But he obliterated Seager in a four-pitch strikeout before ending the rally by getting Josh Jung to pop out softly to Chisholm.

“That was the game right there,” Boone said.

Part two is taking the series from Texas. It would be the Yankees’ sixth straight conquest.

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BOB KLAPISCH

Part three is welcoming back Rodon and then Cole, after which the possibilities are limitless. If this keeps up, the American League is going to effectively concede, pull up stakes and let the National League deal with Boone’s crew in October.

My crystal ball, which has a decent batting average, says the Yankees just might sprint straight to the World Series. In the meantime, the confidence in the clubhouse is growing.

“The positivity right now is just crazy,” Chisholm said. “It’s like everyone’s just on a real high horse. We just want to ride it out as long as we can.”

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