07/11/25 10:50:00
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07/11 22:48 CDT Yanks' Cody Bellinger hits 3rd home run of game against Cubs,
an inning after being robbed
Yanks' Cody Bellinger hits 3rd home run of game against Cubs, an inning after
being robbed
By RONALD BLUM
AP Baseball Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --- Robbed an inning earlier, Cody Bellinger wasn't sure his
first three-homer game had been swiped away again.
"I didn't know at first," he said. "For that third one to finally get over
feels pretty good."
Bellinger hit three two-run homers against his former team and was denied a
fourth by a spectacular catch, leading the Yankees to an 11-0 rout of the
Chicago Cubs on Friday night.
Aaron Judge made a trio of outstanding grabs in right field for the Yankees,
who have won fifth straight games following a a six-game losing streak.
Bellinger, whose dad Clay played for the Yankees from 1999 to 2001, is a
two-time All-Star and 2019 NL MVP.
He spent 2023 and '24 with the Cubs, hitting .266 with 18 homers and 78 RBIs in
130 games last year while missing time because of a broken right rib. The Cubs
traded him to New York in December with $52.5 million remaining on his contract
and agreed to pay the Yankees $5 million.
He homered in a three-run third off Chris Flexen and in the fifth against Caleb
Thielbar for this 18th multi-homer game. Bellinger nearly went deep in the
seventh but was robbed by Kyle Tucker on a drive above the right-field wall.
"I was watching it. He timed it up perfect, so I was a little sick about it,
honestly," Bellinger said. "But it was a good catch."
"Boys were giving me a hard time after he robbed it. Boonie was giving me hard
time," Bellinger added.
A four-time All-Star and a Gold Glove winner, Tucker snatched the ball as a fan
tried for it, the spectator clasping both sides of the outfielder's glove.
"I caught the ball and he caught my glove, so I figured even if I dropped it
they'd probably look at it and get it overturned," Tucker said. "I've probably
had some encounters with me trying to go into the stands and catching a ball
and me hitting someone's hand or whatever but I don't know if anyone's ever
actually kind of caught my glove while doing it."
Bellinger homered in the eighth off Jordan Wicks, just above the red glove of
leaping center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and into the dark glove of a kid in
the front row.
"The fan just beat to the spot," Crow-Armstrong said. "He just had a better
chance of catching it higher than I did."
Bellinger, who had rounded first, watched and then smiled when he saw he had
hit No. 3.
"Glad the fan caught it before PCA could grab it," said Bellinger, who met the
boy after and got the ball back. "I've seen PCA rob so many homers. He's a
freak athlete out there."
Bellinger is batting .406 over a career-high 16-game hitting streak, raising
his average to .285 with 16 homers and 54 RBIs.
He had spoken with his Cubs ex-teammates during batting practice.
"No, no, no revenge," he said. "Honestly, ultimately it was just fun to be out
there. I saw a bunch of guys I hadn't seen in a while and I shared a bunch of
good memories with them for these past two years."
Jazz Chisholm Jr. and manager Aaron Boone encouraged Bellinger to emerge from
the dugout for a curtain call.
"He was a little reluctant, but then the Bell-lin-ger" over the dugout got
pretty loud. So I think he succumbed to it," Boone said. "Belly's loved being
here and loved playing here in a meaningful place to him, going back to his
childhood."
Bellinger turns 30 on Sunday and can opt out of the final season of his
contract this fall. With long balls and wide smiles, he seems to have found a
home in the Yankees clubhouse.
He tried not to make much of getting the three homers against the Cubs, but
Bellinger's teammates could sense the significance.
"It's always good to go against your old teammates that you spend a lot of time
with, you know, you respect," Boone said. "To perform right away against them
I'm sure probably is a little cherry on top for him."
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
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