Yankees’ Cody Bellinger explains wholesome moment during Athletics rout

New York Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger explained a wholesome moment he had during the 12-5 rout over the Athletics. The Bronx Bombers are facing some pressure for their divisional lead in the AL East. New York is 48-35, with the Tampa Bay Rays only a game and a half out of first place. The Yankees recently hit a rough stretch, particularly on offense, but have since found their footing as the All-Star break looms in a couple of weeks.

Sunday was a vintage performance for this squad as the reigning pennant winners clocked four home runs, including two by AL MVP contender Aaron Judge. And Cody Bellinger also went yard for his eleventh home run in the fifth inning to all but put the game away. Before he went into the batter's box to face left-hander Hogan Harris, the 29-year-old described a heartfelt interaction he had with a mom and her son at Yankee Stadium. Bellinger detailed this moment, which gave him chills shortly after, in an interview with MLB.com's Jared Greenspan.

“I was warming up, and the mom says, ‘Hey Cody, big fan, last time you gave him a fist bump you hit a homer. And I turn around, and I look, and I just saw these two people there. I was like, ‘Oh, that was really cool.’ So I turn around and I give another fist bump. Obviously, I had to go show him some love. Honestly, that was a pretty cool moment. It was just a really, really cool moment.”

Bellinger has had an encouraging first season for the Yankees so far. The former NL MVP was traded to New York this offseason from the Chicago Cubs to be a part of one of the league's best outfields, and will be heavily relied upon to help maintain this lead in the division. In addition to AL East foes like the Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays, the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros have emerged as serious threats to New York's chances of getting back to the World Series.

While the Tigers have been one of the best teams in the MLB this half, the Astros have come on strong recently and hold a commanding lead in the AL West. The Yankees have a poor history against both franchises in the postseason, having not won a series against either this century. To ensure history doesn't repeat itself, Brian Cashman will need to make some trade deadline moves. In particular, the bullpen and starting pitching could use a little more depth, and New York really needs another sure-handed bat in the infield.

Overall, despite the ups and downs, this team has no reason to press the panic button and still has all of its goals intact. It's great to see players like Cody Bellinger take some time to enjoy the little moments with the fans. Traditionally, the more joyful and relaxed the decorated outfielder is, the better he performs, and it doesn't matter how big the stage is.