Yankee McMahon Takes 100 Practice Swings, Wins Game

Sometimes the difference between giving up and breaking through is just one more swing.

Ryan McMahon spent Friday evening underneath Yankee Stadium taking what he estimates were "about a hundred" extra swings in the batting cage. The struggling infielder wasn't even in the starting lineup that night, but he refused to waste the time.

His perseverance paid off in the eighth inning when McMahon launched a go-ahead two-run homer that powered the Yankees to a 4-2 victory over the Royals. The clubhouse erupted as he rounded the bases, roaring with emotion after weeks of frustration.

"It's been tough," McMahon admitted after the game. "You get sick and tired of it, but that doesn't mean you're going to figure it out. For me, you just never, ever quit."

McMahon had entered Friday's game with just five hits all season, all singles. His struggles began last year after the Yankees acquired him from the Rockies in July, when he hit only .208 in 54 games.

This winter, he worked with Yankees coaches over Zoom to rebuild his mechanics from the ground up. He tightened his stance, squared his shoulders, and put in countless hours trying to rediscover his swing.

Teammate Ben Rice, who also homered in Friday's win, has watched McMahon's grind up close. "I'm here with him early all the time," Rice said. "We're always hitting at the same time, like 2 o'clock. I see all the work he puts into it."

Why This Inspires

McMahon's story captures what makes sports beautiful. Six out of seven innings on Friday, he stayed in the cage working while his teammates played above him. No cameras, no glory, just repetition and faith.

Manager Aaron Boone had told McMahon earlier that day his playing time would shrink even more with left-handed pitchers coming up in the schedule. Most players would sulk or shut down. McMahon grabbed a bat.

"You want to play good for the men in the room with you," he said. "It doesn't feel good, letting your brothers down, especially the guys you grind with every single day."

When closer David Bednar recorded the final out, no one smiled wider in the handshake line than McMahon. After all those swings in the dark, after all those mechanical adjustments and Zoom sessions and early morning cage work, he'd delivered when it mattered most.

Baseball will bring even the best players to their knees, but the ones who keep swinging are the ones who get back up.