The turtle inspiring the Yankees' playoff run
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After an up-and-down season, the Yankees have seemingly come alive at the right time -- emphasized by a giant sweep over the Red Sox at Fenway Park this past weekend. The three victories jolted them into the first Wild Card spot, one game ahead of Boston and two up on the Blue Jays with just six games to go.
Some are pointing to Giancarlo Stanton's resurgence as the reason for the playoff push. Or maybe it's Aaron Judge's clutch hitting? The pitching has also been fantastic during the team's current six-game winning streak.
But on Tuesday, the world found out via ESPN that it's likely none of these things. It's actually a new, tiny, green member of the clubhouse. It's a turtle.
The Yankees, led by Nestor Cortes, were apparently talking about wanting a pet -- and a turtle became the sought-after animal. It makes sense; turtles have a long and successful history in New York City. So, they went out and got one. Here are some more details from the ESPN story.
"After some discussion, a small (and, it must be said, very cute) turtle was acquired from a neighborhood pet store. The players were elated. The turtle's name is Bronxie, an ode to its home borough, and it lives a comfortable life. It wiles away most of its hours in a tank with a piece of tape labeled "Bronxie the Turtle" on it. It is well-fed. At times, it even roams freely, crawling among the white, interlocking-NYs on the blue clubhouse carpet."
Brett Gardner said he wants to get Bronxie a "little World Series ring," Cortes is like a "proud papa" and, maybe the best part, DJ LeMahieu apparently just spends minutes staring at the turtle. Perhaps in awe of Bronxie's intricate shell or pondering life's greatest mysteries as it slowly crawls along the clubhouse floor.
ESPN's Sam Borden tells us the Yanks brought on Bronxie last week, likely before their sweep of the Rangers. And then he joined the team on its road trip to Boston. So yes, the Yankees are 6-0 since acquiring Bronxie.
This wouldn't be the first time animals have played a part in baseball history -- the Cardinals even once had a good luck tortoise with its own Twitter account (likely not run by the tortoise). Time will tell how long the Yankees' 2021 turtle power can last.