NEW YORK – Knicks championship fever had gripped Yankee Stadium, where two of their stars – Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart – tossed out ceremonial first pitches Wednesday.
And wherever the pair moved, from the broadcast booth to the owner’s suite, the fans serenaded them with chants and cheers; merely the warm-up for Thursday’s main event.
Seventeen years since the last Yankees title team floated up the Canyon of Heroes amid a shower of Manhattan confetti, the NBA champion Knicks will enjoy that honor.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone imagined that it’ll be an “otherworldly’’ experience for the Knicks, who tore through the postseason at an historic pace.
And you’ve known especially how Boone, Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole have imagined that path, delivering a championship, winding slowly up lower Broadway, and basking in New York’s highest honor.
They went to the World Series two years ago, but these Yankees seem a lot closer to a title than at any point since 2019, Boone’s best club until now.
“When you play here, that’s the goal. That’s the dream,’’ said Cody Bellinger, after the Yankees’ latest offensive outburst in a 10-5 win against the White Sox.
Yankees’ depth being tested
Bellinger said the Yanks were “super tuned-in’’ to the Knicks’ postseason run and “watching them being able to accomplish that, it takes everyone. We’re all aware of that.’’
They’re also aware that “it’s June,’’ with a long journey ahead, with more unexpected hurdles to come.
But these Yankees, currently playing without Judge (rib fracture) or Giancarlo Stanton (re-injured calf) or Max Fried (elbow bone bruise) have now opened a 3.5-game lead in the AL East.
And through 72 games, the rest of the American League isn’t looking particularly lethal.
Once more laying waste to the AL Central portion of their schedule (12-2 record), the Yankees’ 13-hit attack was a benefit to Carlos Rodon, who had a tough five innings.
But the veteran lefty held it together, and the Yankees watched two of their former NL MVPs – Bellinger and the surging veteran Paul Goldschmidt – combine on five hits, including two homers, and five RBI.
“I think we all understood a lot of our guys are out and we have to do what we can to continue to win games,’’ said Bellinger. “No excuses.
“We’ve still got really, good depth. And we’re playing well right now.’’
The long road ahead
With a right-handed heavy lineup against a lefty starter, Anthony Kay was chased after four innings (four runs) and the Yanks put up a five-run fifth against Chicago’s bullpen.
This, after they knocked out a first-half All-Star starter, Chicago’s Davis Martin, in the fourth inning of Tuesday’s 12-2 victory at the Stadium.
“I’m looking at these names and obviously thinking we’re capable of that,” Boone said of more than staying afloat offensively, without Judge and Stanton anchoring the lineup.
Ben Rice’s emergence as a top-tier hitter is part of a more diverse offense, one that leads the league in home runs, OPS and stolen bases.
After a 1-3 start without Judge, the Yanks have won eight of their last nine games, and they’ve got series against the Reds (35-38), Tigers (30-44), Red Sox (29-42) and Twins (35-40) before visiting the second-place Rays (41-30) in the penultimate series before the All-Star break.
It’s a prime time for the Yanks to gain ground, and to see more of what they have in Spencer Jones and Jasson Dominguez, and how they can potentially use some of their surplus at the MLB trade deadline.
If this feels like an all-in year for the Yankees, maybe they can draw even more inspiration from an all-time Knicks team, the toast of a town still thirsty for a World Series champ.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Yankees hoping to follow the Knicks’ path toward a tickertape parade
