Considering Greg Bird was slated to hit third in the Yankees’ lineup before missing the first eight weeks of the season because of right ankle surgery, a case could have been made that without a solid year from the left-handed-hitting first baseman the Yankees would not have advanced to the postseason.
When the Yankees beat the Mariners 4-0 at Safeco Field on Friday night, the Yankees were a virtual lock to be one of the two AL wild-card teams.
Yet, it has been accomplished without much of a contribution from Bird, who has been nailed to the bench lately by Luke Voit’s hot bat.