CLEVELAND — With just two hits and 12 strikeouts over his first 28 postseason plate appearances, Austin Wells found himself searching for answers on Thursday night.
So he and Anthony Volpe watched video of Wells at the plate. Last year, the two found holes in Volpe’s stance while famously enjoying some homemade chicken parm. This time, the duo feasted on chocolate cake and ice cream while addressing Wells’ concern that he was being “exposed,” particularly at the top of the zone.
As the two friends dined on desserts, they identified “some little things that might have helped,” Wells told the Daily News after the Yankees beat the Guardians, 8-6, in Game 4 of the ALCS on Friday. The adjustments certainly seemed to make a difference, as the catcher crushed the first home run of his postseason career when he took Cleveland starter Gavin Williams 407 feet to center in the second inning.
“That was big time out of him. Great swing on Williams, who has an unbelievable fastball,” Aaron Judge said of Wells’ solo shot. “To see him come out there and produce early was great for us. And then what he did behind the plate for us, that was pretty special, too.”
Wells hit his home run from the eighth spot in the Yankees’ lineup after Aaron Boone demoted the rookie for Game 4.
Wells had established himself as the club’s go-to cleanup hitter over the last few months after a breakout summer, but his poor October showing, coupled with an abysmal September, forced the manager to shake things up. So Wells hit second-to-last for the first time since June 22 after going 0-for-2 with two strikeouts off the bench in Game 3.
“Just felt like it was time to move him down a little bit,” said Boone, who saw his Friday night cleanup man, Jazz Chisholm Jr., go 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.
Boone also said it’s possible that Wells could have been worn down after playing in a career-high 115 games during the regular season.
But while the manager dropped Wells in the order, he continued to express faith in the 25-year-old’s bat prior to Game 4.
“I really do have confidence moving forward,” Boone said. “He’s going to have good at-bats or the right at-bats, and it’s, ‘Boom,’ right away.”
Boone’s words proved prescient, especially the boom, as Wells clubbed his first longball since Sept. 9 while going 1-for-4 with two strikeouts.
While Wells hit lower in the order than usual, he said that he was just “happy to be in the lineup” while contributing to a win. He knows his offensive production has been lackluster lately, but his focus has been on the Yankees’ pitching staff since the calendar flipped to October.
“In the playoffs, I feel like my No. 1 job is being a catcher and getting our bullpen and our starters through the game,” Wells said.
But he added that making an offensive impact certainly left him feeling good.
“It felt great,” Wells said. “Felt great to be able to contribute and have a quality at-bat.”
