CHICAGO — As the baseball season advances inexorably into August, the Yankees surprising ascent to the top of the American League East can be primarily traced to the turn-back-the-clock performances of Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira, an offense that has scored the most first-inning runs in baseball and one of baseball’s most reliable bullpens.
But perhaps no player has more closely mirrored the Yankees transition from early season floundering to midsummer flourishing than shortstop Didi Gregorius.
If Gregorius, who was acquired last winter from Arizona, had the unenviable task of replacing Derek Jeter, he did not endear himself to fans with an early handful of plays that might best be described as anti-Jeteresque, beginning on opening day when he was thrown out trying to steal third and his team trailing by four runs.