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Several hours before Ryan LaMarre was called, he was already ready for anything asked of him. It was over 90 minutes before the first pitch, and the backup outfielder was ready, dressed and in play mode.
“[Brett Gardner] laughed at me because I had my swimsuit at 5:30 [p.m.] today, ”recalled LaMarre.
Six hours later, the journeyman with 235 career major-league appearances was finally going to have his chance, and he made the most of it.
LaMarre’s single to the head of right fielder Brad Miller scored Gary Sanchez with the winning run in the Yankees’ wild 6-5 win in 10 innings over the Phillies in the Bronx.
“Not many people obviously have the chance to wear the uniform, let alone the chance to pass and get a hit,” he said. “To have moments like these you just try to imbue them and they keep you going honestly. … Any day here is a good day.
LaMarre’s hit sent the Yankees to a fourth straight victory in a monster seven-game road trip against the Red Sox and Rays, and gave the 32-year-old a memory he will not soon forget.
He was swarmed by his stunned teammates, who exuberantly tore his jersey. He tried to hand him over for his field interview. But it didn’t work.
“There was no button to find,” said LaMarre after landing the second hit of his career. “I don’t know how they fix them or if they just get you a new one. I don’t think this jersey is coming back.
Frequent traveler LaMarre, with over 3,000 minor league appearances in 11 different seasons, is part of his sixth MLB team – having had brief stints with the Reds, Red Sox, As, Twins and the White Sox. He has never had more than 99 appearing at bat in a single season in the major leagues and has only appeared in 125 games in the big leagues.
So far, he’s making the most of his luck with the Yankees. On Sunday, he took the start and landed his fifth career home run to claim a series victory over the Red Sox. On Wednesday, he helped the Yankees keep the vibes positive.
He’s one of the many unexpected contributors who have helped the Yankees win nine of their last 12 games – a list that includes forward prospect Estevan Florial, veteran Greg Allen, wide receiver Rob Brantly and infielder. Chris Gittens.
At full strength, the Yankees struggled to find consistency. Without a lot of key pieces, they sort of started to perform better, helped by a number of calls from Triple-A Scranton / Wilkes-Barre.
“The RailBirds are here and we’re having fun,” said LaMarre.
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