Jay Bruce retiring was the best thing to happen to the Yankees

The New York Yankees are playing like the best teams in the bigs ever since veteran Jay Bruce decided to hang up his cleats and call it a career. 

Don’t look now, but here come the New York Yankees. After going through a rough start to the season, the Bronx Bombers have returned to their usual form and are 10-4 in their last 14 games. That’s the best record in the bigs over that span.

So, what in the heck has changed? Ironically enough, the team has gone on its hot streak since the moment Jay Bruce decided to surprisingly retire right in the middle of the campaign. Some might call this a coincidence, but there’s no denying just how hot the Yankees bats have been.

New York is an impressive 10-4 since Jay Bruce retired

After starting the season off 6-10, alarms were ringing all across New York City. Were the Yankees headed for a campaign similar to the Boston Red Sox from 2020, where the latter closed out the year in last place of the AL East standings?

Well, that doesn’t look to be the case, with Aaron Boone’s men completely turning things around. The pitching has been stellar and the offense can’t stop belting dingers. How about the play of Giancarlo Stanton? The right fielder has been on an absolute tear of late. On the year, Stanton is hitting .314 with eight homers and 22 RBI.

In Wednesday’s victory over the Houston Astros, Stanton went 3-for-4, with a homer, double and four RBI. That’s the kind of showing Yankees fans everywhere absolutely love to see, especially going up against a team like Houston.

Only time will tell if the Yankees go on to win the division and push for a trip to the World Series. If they do, fans might be ready to throw a parade in Bruce’s honor. Him retiring has really made quite the difference.