Cody Bellinger’s October night at Yankee Stadium carried a family echo before he ever stepped into the batter’s box. His father, Clay Bellinger, threw the ceremonial first pitch, and the younger Bellinger went on to drive in four runs with a home run and an RBI single as the Yankees routed the Red Sox, 9-2, in Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series.
A No. 35 family moment in the Bronx
Clay Bellinger watched with the familiar pride of a father who once wore the same Yankees uniform number. Now a firefighter in Gilbert, Arizona, Clay wore No. 35 during the Yankees’ last World Series dynasty, filling a supporting role on championship clubs. His son has made that number his own in pinstripes.
The elder Bellinger opened the evening from the mound, delivering a crisp ceremonial pitch with Cody crouched behind the plate.
- Cody Bellinger said he learned of his father’s first-pitch assignment the previous day.
- He had no doubt Clay would find the strike zone.
- Clay did it without a warmup, popping the catcher’s glove with his throw.
Clay had already seen his son take another major career step in July, when Cody was named All-Star Game MVP at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park. Cody answered questions in his Yankees road grays with one daughter beside him and another seated a few rows back with his wife, Chase, while Clay looked on.
“You always want your children to succeed, whether it is baseball or anything else they choose,” Clay said at the time. “He has been very good at this for a long while, and it is enjoyable to watch.”
Bellinger punishes Boston’s bullpen moves
The Red Sox made two pitching decisions that put Bellinger at the center of the game, and he made them pay both times.
Boston manager Chad Tracy removed starter Sonny Gray in the fifth inning and brought in left-hander Erik Miller. Miller had surrendered Ben Rice’s first postseason homer in Game 1, and Bellinger added to Boston’s trouble against him by lining a run-scoring single that gave New York a two-run cushion.
Bellinger, one of the stronger left-handed hitters against left-handed pitching, treated the matchup without much ceremony.
“There is no secret formula,” Bellinger said. “I try to make it just another at-bat. Growing up, there was not as much talk about matchups. You just played baseball.”
Boston’s sixth-inning choice was even more costly. With three Yankees runs already across, the Red Sox intentionally walked a hitter to bring Garrett Whitlock in against Bellinger. Rice, who had been swinging a hot bat, admitted the decision caught him off guard.
“I was really surprised they wanted to pitch to Cody Bellinger,” Rice said. “He thrives with runners in scoring position and has done that throughout his career. It was an interesting choice.”
Bellinger understood why the Red Sox might have considered Rice the larger immediate threat.
“He has been red-hot, so it crossed my mind,” Bellinger said. “You never know.”
A three-run swing and a series-clinching win
Whitlock’s changeup did not get past Bellinger. He drove it over the wall in right field for a three-run homer, touching off a wild scene in the Yankee Stadium seats as popcorn and drinks went airborne.
- Bellinger finished with a homer and four RBIs.
- The Yankees won 9-2.
- The victory ended Boston’s season.
- New York eliminated the Red Sox for the second straight year.
Bellinger took his time around the bases, allowing himself a moment to absorb a packed Bronx and the weight of the swing. But his postgame words made clear that he sees the Wild Card celebration as a checkpoint, not a finish line.
“It is a great feeling,” Bellinger said. “You enjoy it and realize how cool it is, but there is still so much left to do. You take in the moment, then keep moving forward.”
