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The Yankees woke up to an off day Thursday, a chance to reflect on a tough series in Toronto, relax and maybe get away from baseball for a bit.
Slugging catcher Austin Wells found a different way to recharge before a series against the Phillies at the Stadium.
Wells hosted a camp for students in grades 1-8 at Fordham University, using the opportunity as a sort of mental refresher.
“It’s a great reset getting to be outside, not on a baseball field,” Wells said. “Getting to help out around here and have fun and take the morning to relax.”
The Blue Jays lead the Yankees by 4 ¹/₂ games in the AL East thanks to the Bombers’ missteps in Toronto and the Blue Jays’ 11-4 win over the Tigers on Thursday night.
The Yankees’ issues at Rogers Centre were largely self-inflicted in the form of seven errors in the series, four of them coming in Wednesday night’s defeat.
The four errors led to two unearned runs and an 8-4 Toronto victory.
They also led to a familiar refrain from the fan base about the Yankees’ lack of attention to baseball fundamentals.
The mistakes were reminiscent of those made at the grassroots level of the game. Wells recalled his days at that level Thursday.
“I went to a couple college camps when I was a kid at our local college, UNLV in [Las] Vegas,” Wells said. “Even then, it was cool, getting to do some drills with some college players. Stuff like this is really cool.”
There is plenty of time for the Yankees to straighten out their defensive issues.
Rather than focus too much on those, maybe the advice Wells gave those attending his camp also can apply to the Yankees.
“Have fun” Wells said, “You can get lost in the grind of baseball. So, just coming out here and having fun … that’s the biggest, [most] important thing.”
