Yankees OF Ryan LaMarre came through in the clutch on Wednesday night against the Philadelphia Phillies, delivering on a walk-off single in the 10th inning.
After the game, the 32-year-old talked about his approach to the at-bat and how players like him dream of a scenario like that.
“I think I said it a couple days ago, guys in our roles that get to come up, all you look for is a chance to contribute,” LaMarre said. “If it happens to be a big moment, then it happens to be a big moment. We’re just trying to put the work in and keep plugging along, and try to contribute anyway we can.”
LaMarre waited around for nearly four hours before getting his chance to hit. He went on to say that teammate Brett Gardner was joking with him about being overly prepared, even though it worked in LaMarre’s favor this time.
“I don’t sit still very well, I think my wife would attest to that,” LaMarre said. “Actually, Gardy was making fun of me, I think I had my jersey on at like 5:30 today. Just kind of ready to go. Mendy [Ramiro Mendoza] and Boone do a good job of, especially on a bullpen day, just kind of a heads up. ‘Hey we got a lot of lefties at the bottom of the order, be ready as soon as the fourth’.
“So I think I watched the first inning, and from then on it’s kind of moving, staying loose, trying to hit in the cage, do a little bit of running. In the ninth, I didn’t know if maybe I might run for Gary [Sanchez], there was a chance to hit. There were a lot of things going on, but you just got to be ready for whatever they call you to do.”
LaMarre expressed how grateful he is for an opportunity like this, as the Yankees have been struggling with injuries throughout the roster.
“Not many people obviously get a chance to wear the uniform, let alone get a chance to come through and get a walk-off hit,” LaMarre said. “Thank God for the opportunity. I’ve been through a lot in this game, as a lot of people have, but to have the moments like these you just try to soak them in and it keeps you going honestly.”
Manager Aaron Boone spoke about LaMarre’s approach to pinch-hitting in that situation, saying that he’s the type of player who’s always ready in the moment.
“Well he’s got experience and he’s a pro man,” Boone said. “He is thrilled to be here, his work is terrific, he’s prepared for all kinds of situations. Obviously that was a situation if Gleyber got him over, we were gonna hit him there. He was ready for that, preparing for that for over an inning probably. I love the aggression… Really a pro job of hitting right there in that spot.”
Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton credited LaMarre for his heroics, knowing that just a fly ball could win the game with a runner at third base.
“It was awesome, all you need is one swing,” and I think he did a good job making sure he stayed inside the ball, didn’t hit a ground ball they were hoping for, and just get it far enough that Gary could score either way.”
“That’s tough, especially a game that’s about four hours already too,” Stanton said. “Yeah it’s tough to keep it locked in and be ready to go in that situation. He did a great job and came up huge for us.”