J.A. Happ, Austin Romine discuss Yankees’ victory over Rays

Following last night’s win against the Rays, the Yankees were nothing but smiles. And why not? They received a tremendous pitching performance from trade deadline acquisition J.A. Happ. The left-handed tossed seven shutout innings, allowing just one hit in the process. He got a little wild, walking four, but also struck out as many batters. It was masterful.

In his postgame interview, Happ further endeared himself to Yankees fans. “Heck yeah,” he emphatically responded when asked if playing for this team was motivating. He talked about the thrill of pitching at Yankee Stadium, in pinstripes, during a pennant race.

The 35-year-old also talked about how he felt stronger as the game went on. He believed he could better locate his pitches and hit his spots, something catcher Austin Romine echoed during an on-field interview. “It’s fun to catch him,” Romine explained, “he works all quadrants of the zone.”

The backstop also talked about his new approach to batting. Nobody will ever mistake Romine for Gary Sanchez, but he helped out the cause with a big two-run homer in the fifth inning.

Last night’s game had everything going for the Yankees. Baseball is a team effort, but Happ and Romine stand out as the heroes. They made sure the Bombers won. Or, in the words of Aaron Boone, they put on a “clinic”.