NEW YORK -- It was the middle of July, and Cody Bellinger was seated in a windowless press conference room deep inside Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park, having been announced as the MVP of the All-Star Game.
Still dressed in his road gray Yankees uniform, Bellinger fielded questions from dozens of reporters, one daughter by his side and another snuggled in a fifth-row seat with her mother, Chase.
At the back of the room, Clay Bellinger looked on with evident pride.
“You always hope,” Clay said that night, “for your kids to do well -- whether that’s playing baseball or doing whatever they like to do. He’s been pretty good at it for quite a long time, so yeah, it’s fun.”
Pinstripes are an outsized piece of the family business now, with the younger Bellinger wearing the same No. 35 that his dad -- now a firefighter in Gilbert, Ariz. -- sported in a supporting role during the franchise’s most recent World Series dynasty.
And Bellinger is making an October impact of his own, homering and driving in four runs in the Yankees’ 9-2 victory over the Red Sox in Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series.
“I definitely appreciate it. I'm able to appreciate it in the moment,” Bellinger said. “That was a cool moment -- just a great game. I’m happy I was able to contribute, and we've got a lot more work to do.”
The evening began with Clay toeing the rubber, tossing a ceremonial first pitch. Bellinger said he was told on Tuesday about the arrangement; squatting behind the plate, he later said: “I knew he was going to throw a strike.”
Dad delivered, popping the glove with a firm toss.
“He didn’t even warm up,” Bellinger said, with a grin.
Then it was Bellinger’s turn to shine, providing an all-around performance as the Yankees sent Boston home for the second consecutive year.
Red Sox manager Chad Tracy pointed to the bullpen in the fifth inning, lifting starter Sonny Gray in favor of left-hander Erik Miller, who’d served up Ben Rice’s first homer in Game 1. The move again backfired; one of the league’s better left-on-left batters, Bellinger laced an RBI single that put the Yanks up by two runs.
“There’s no secret sauce,” Bellinger said. “For me, just take it as another at-bat. It felt like when I was playing baseball coming up, you didn't hear too much about the matchups. I was just playing baseball.”
The decision-making grew even more curious in the sixth, with three Yankees runs already in during that frame. Boston issued an intentional walk so Garrett Whitlock could face Bellinger. Tossing his bat aside, Rice wasn’t sure why.
“I was very surprised they were willing to face Cody Bellinger, a guy who absolutely thrives with runners in scoring position and has done it his whole career,” Rice said. “Interesting decision.”
Bellinger said he understood Boston’s thinking, noting Rice’s presence.
“He’s been red-hot, and it was in the back of my mind,” Bellinger said. “You never really know.”
The next swing set off bedlam in the Bronx, with Bellinger launching a Whitlock changeup over the right-field wall for a three-run homer that sent popcorn and various liquids flying throughout the bleachers.
Bellinger made sure to savor his trot around the bases, soaking up the moment.
“Man, it's a good feeling,” Bellinger said. “I think that you enjoy it, but I feel like there's just so much more to do. So you obviously enjoy the moment, understand how cool it is, but keep on going.”