When the New York Yankees acquired Harrison Bader from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for left-hander Jordan Montgomery at the trade deadline, the popular consensus was that the Cardinals got the better end of the deal.
Bader was still on the injured list and the Cardinals were able to plug Montgomery into their rotation immediately.
Two months later, the Yankees are still standing, and Bader is going off in the postseason.
With an early two-run homer off of Cal Quantrill in Sunday night’s Game 4, Bader bumped his total up to three this postseason, joining Bernie Williams and Mickey Mantle as the only Yankee centerfielders to have hit three homers in a single postseason.
Harrison Bader homered for the 3rd time in 4 games this postseason.
Bader joins Bernie Williams (3x) and Mickey Mantle (2x) as the only Yankee centerfielders with 3 HR in a single postseason. pic.twitter.com/MokM6W9FBC
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 16, 2022
Bader Joins Yankees Legends
Bob Costas made it loud and clear that Bader is owning Quantrill this October, but the same can be said for the entire Cleveland Guardians pitching staff.
Williams homered three times in a single postseason on three separate occasions, while Mantle did it twice.
Bader now finds himself in some legendary company, and the Yankees aren’t even out of the ALDS just yet.
He’s done it three times in the last four games, having homered off of Quantrill in Game 1 and off of lefty Sam Hentges in Game 3.
In addition to his three home runs, Bader is also hitting .286 with 4 RBI and a 1.215 OPS in his 14 postseason at-bats.
The Yankees now find themselves just one win away from the ALCS thanks in large part to Bader’s October heroics.
Bader has proven to be a key addition for the Yankees and is becoming a catalyst for them this October.
Game 5 will get underway at 7:07 p.m. Eastern Time.
NEXT: Yankees Catcher Has A Thrilling Game 5 Prediction
