ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Jacoby Ellsbury has been the subject of scorn in the Bronx the last two years. But the heat's cooled off lately.
Ellsbury's bat is the reason why.
The 32-year-old entered Saturday hitting a blistering .350 through 18 games in May. He went 1-for-4 in the Yankees' 9-5 loss to the Rays at Tropicana Field later in the day.
That had jumped his season batting average to a healthy .283 — the best among Yankees regulars.
It wasn't too long ago that many were calling for his benching.