TORONTO — Tino Martinez has paid attention to Yankees from afar over the past few seasons and noticed something different about the 2022 version. Draw a comparison with the 1998 team that won 114 regular season games on the way to the title.
"They seem to have a mission," Martinez, the first baseman of the 1998 team, called from Tampa, Florida on Saturday. It didn't matter if I got 20 games in July. 30 [Game] I wanted to raise it. We knew we needed to keep pushing, not just cruise to the end of the regular season.
Like this year's team, the 1998 team didn't come out of the gate firing on all cylinders. They lost 3 of the first 4 games and won 14 of the next 15 games.
They built an 11-game lead in eastern AL through 58 games — about a week before the 2022 team did the same.
By the end of June, 1998 Yankees had 10 games Less than that, its lead eventually grew to 22 games in September.
This year's version played against the Blue Jays on Saturday, setting a record of 48-16 in 64 games. This is the same as Yankee and is the best major since the Mariners opened at 50-14 in 2001. ..
Only the 1939 Yankees got off to a better start in the history of the franchise, reaching 50-14.
The Yankees showed few signs of slowing down this year, winning 15 out of 16 games, while surpassing their opponents 107-38.
All of this dates back to 1998, the third season with Martinez's Yankees.
"This year was a great year and seemed to win every day," Martinez said. "It's hard to keep up that pace."
He said he believes there are signs that the Yankees can keep up with their current pace.
"They hit the ball here and there and play with confidence," Martinez said. "They are just building up their wins."
And 19 comeback wins are also leading the majors.
"This team has a different aura than in the last few years," Martinez said. "They seem to be able to win every game, even when they're down 7th, 8th, or 9th. That wasn't the case last year. This team always makes something happen. You're expecting it. The 1998 team had the same attitude, not just one or two. [Aaron] Judge and [Anthony] Rizzo aren't the only ones. Like [Luis] Sojo. There are people like [Jose] Trevino. "
However, Martinez knows that the legacy of this team cannot be built in June or July.
"No matter who I played against, I wanted to not only win the division, but continue to win and overwhelm my opponent," Martinez said. "But you always know that your goal is to win the World Series. [In 2001] I didn't want to be in Seattle, I won 116 games, lost in the playoffs, and no one remembers you. Hmm. "
This team has a championship Martinez, who has no pedigree, believes that the 2022 Yankees were built the right way with the 1998 team, which had already won the World Series in 1996.
"They are defense first," Martinez said. "That's what it takes to win the postseason."
But before they get there, they have a lot to do.
"There is still a long way to go," Martinez said. "They have avoided injuries so far. Joe Torre continued to say," Don't inhale or look up. " Please continue. I love the way they are playing now.
