The Yankees finished the short season of 2020 six games over .500 and in second place in the American League East. They go into this weekend’s series at Fenway Park at six games over .500, and in third place in the American League East. But they have won seven of their last nine games, and finally seem to be making their move. About time. It is actually past time for them to get back to the top of the division, one they have only won twice in the last decade.

The Yankees have finally started to hit, in a season when the starters behind Gerrit Cole have largely pitched better than people have expected them to do. More than anything, though, they have started to fight. And fight back when they get behind. And make this modest move. If they do take back the division, which they have a chance to do by the 4th of July -- one of the tradition mile markers in baseball -- it all started over the last couple of weeks.

When they went into Buffalo to play the Jays on June 15, the Yankees were 33-32. Here is how they have won their seven games since then:

June 15: They come from behind by scoring one run in the sixth, two in the seventh, one in the eighth, and beat the Blue Jays, 6-5. Gary Sánchez had already homered earlier in that game.

June 16: With the Blue Jays leading, 2-1, Sánchez hits a two-run homer in the seventh and Yankees win again.

June 17: They come from behind to win by scoring five runs in the last three innings.

June 19: Playing the A’s at home and trailing again, the Yankees scored one in the sixth, two in the seventh, three in the eighth and end up winning, 7-5. It all starts with a Sánchez home run in the bottom of the sixth.

(You are perhaps spotting a developing trend here.)

June 20: With his team trailing 2-1, Sánchez doubles home two runs in the bottom of the sixth and the Yankees beat the A’s again.

June 23: The Yankees score two runs in the bottom of the seventh to take the lead from the Royals. The Royals come back to score two in the top of the ninth to take back the lead. The Yankees won in the bottom of the ninth, Sánchez tying the game at 5-5 with a home run before Luke Voit’s walk-off single.

June 24: No dramatics on Thursday afternoon at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees wallop the Royals 8-1, hitting three homers. One of them is Sánchez’s 13th of the season. This is from someone who batted .147 in 49 games in 2020, even if he did manage to hit 10 home runs, and from someone who lost his starting job earlier in 2021 to Kyle Higashioka. That was on April 27. Sánchez was hitting .182 at the time.

Brian Cashman had taken a lot of heat over the winter, after Sánchez’s .147 effort in the short season, by saying that the Yankees were staying with Sánchez, who is still just 28 years old, and was once the Yankees’ home run kid before Aaron Judge came along. Now the Yankees picking themselves up the way they have since starting 33-32 has organized more around their catcher than anybody else, one suddenly back in such a big way.

"It goes back to the time we were struggling to score runs, and I kept saying, ‘It’s just a matter of time,’" Sánchez said the other day. "I have so much confidence in the talent that we have and what my teammates are able to do, that eventually this is supposed to happen, for the offense to work the way it’s working right now."

Here is what manager Aaron Boone said last weekend about what he has seen from Gary Sánchez lately:

"I'm just happy for him, because he's worked so hard. He's just kept his nose down. Obviously he lost some playing time about a month ago and just kept working. He's been a great teammate. He's worked really hard on both sides of the ball."

It is not just Sánchez for the Yankees. Voit has come back, and Judge continues to have a fine season. DJ LeMahieu has started to look more like the hitter he was in his first two Yankee seasons. Through it all, day in and day out, it is perhaps Gio Urshela who has been the most consistent presence in the Yankee lineup.

There are still issues with the rotation, and some weirdness from closer Aroldis Chapman, even as the Yankees have gotten hot, and despite the 103.4 mph fastball he threw past the A’s Matt Chapman last weekend -- the fastest pitch Chapman has thrown in three seasons.

Corey Kluber is still on the Injured List, and there was even a one-day issue of arm soreness with setup man Zack Britton, who has spent his own fair amount of time on the IL this season.

But the Yankees go into Fenway hot, with a chance to make amends for the Sox sweeping the Yankees at home three weeks ago. New York looks like the team it was expected to be. Gary Sánchez, who has always mashed at Fenway, looks like the hitter he used to be. Look out.