It took five years, but Billy McKinney finally made his way back to The Bronx in pinstripes on Thursday.
It was a day the well-traveled outfielder will remember, one in which he hit a home run as the Yankees split a doubleheader with the White Sox, losing Game 1, 6-5, and winning Game 2, 3-0.
“I was a little disappointed that I never got to get a hit in Yankee Stadium as a home player. I played here as a road player,” the 28-year-old McKinney said. “Getting the home run means a lot.”
McKinney tripled in the opener and homered in the fifth inning of the nightcap, continuing the torrid stretch he had been on with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
He hit his homer, on a high 94 mph fastball from White Sox starter Mike Clevinger, into the bleachers in right-center field.
“It was cool. I was pretty fired up,” he said. “Glad it went out and glad we got the win.”
A first-round pick (24th overall) of the Athletics in 2013, McKinney came to the Yankees from the Cubs, along with Gleyber Torres and others, in the Aroldis Chapman trade in July 2016.
After making his big-league debut with the Yankees in 2018, he was part of the deal that July that acquired J.A. Happ from the Blue Jays.
McKinney signed a minor league deal with the Yankees this offseason.
When Aaron Judge was placed on the injured list with a right big toe injury on Wednesday, McKinney got the call. Judge is obviously irreplaceable. But McKinney’s mindset, he said, is simple: Be productive.
“Just help the team win, that’s the goal,” McKinney said. “Win as many games as we can. It’s Aaron Judge, he’s one of a kind. Just do my best and help the team win. That’s all that matters.”
He will get his chance now, with Judge on the IL.
On his first day, McKinney showed he may be able to help fill the void somewhat.
“Opportunity knocks and he did a great job for us today,” manager Aaron Boone said. “I thought he had great at-bats throughout the day. Good to see him come up, and like some of the other guys that have gotten opportunities, come right up and be a contributor. It was good to see him have those kinds of at-bats.”
