This was what Andrew Velazquez’s dreams were made of when he was a kid growing up in the Bronx and rooting for the Yankees. However, this week against the rival Boston Red Sox was better than he ever could have imagined.
The 27-year-old journeyman who accrued just three career RBI in 68 games (96 at-bats) over three seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Indians, and Baltimore Orioles went 3-for-7 with four RBI. That included a pair of RBI singles in Wednesday’s 5-2 victory — the first tying the game at one apiece in the second inning before giving the Yankees some breathing space in the eighth to make it 4-1.
The shortstop then proceeded to make a game-saving, game-ending sliding stop for the final out of the night on a Kevin Plawecki grounder deep in the hole with runners on first and third — preserving a Yankees 5-2 victory and avoiding further drama that has become commonplace for a shaky bullpen.
Velazquez’s performance earned him the coveted championship belt, awarded after each win to that game’s MVP.
“It’s incredible,” Velazquez said. “I’ve seen a couple guys get it now so I couldn’t wait to get it… It’s what you dream about. You come here, you want to be a part of something. Not only doing good on the field but earning the respect of the guys in the locker room.
“Better than I could’ve imagined, really.”
Not bad for a Bronx kid who spent plenty of summer days at Yankee Stadium, though getting and up close and personal look at the Red Sox was a bit of a new feel for him.
“I don’t know if I [ever saw a Yankees, Red Sox game live],” Velazquez pondered thinking back to his days in the bleachers. “Those tickets were probably too expensive but I do remember coming to a lot of games.”
All the while, the Fordham Prep alumnus whose dad was an NYPD Detective spent this week at his parents’ home in the Bronx while he and the Yankees were in town — not an easy thing to do with friends and family champing at the bit to see him.
“Just trying to separate. Knowing when I get to the field, I have a job to do,” Velazquez said. “I’m just trying to contribute to something and once I get on the field, it’s work.”
He can’t beat the rent, though.
“It’s closer than staying in Manhattan,” he joked. “Cheaper, too.”
