Harrison Bader's hometown is cheering his playoff success with New York Yankees
The first home run Harrison Bader hit during the American League Division Series, Mike Vecchione and his children went wild in their living room. The second one, Vecchione had ducked upstairs for a moment when his daughter, Emma, came sprinting to tell him.
They may pull for the New York Yankees, but it's Bader who really has them screaming these days.
"My kids were losing their minds," Vecchione said. "They went wild. He's playing unbelievable right now."
Many in the Town of Eastchester share that sentiment with Vecchione, the president of Eastchester Little League. Bader, a former Bronxville resident, was traded to his hometown Yankees at Major League Baseball's trade deadline in August, and his star turn has helped propel them into the ALCS against the Houston Astros.
And Bader didn't waste any time Wednesday night, belting his fourth home run of the postseason, a solo shot off Astros ace Justin Verlander in the second inning.
"I'm just grateful. Grateful for the opportunity," Bader was saying Tuesday night after the Yankees eliminated the Cleveland Guardians in Game 5 Tuesday night. "You can't take the past. It's too heavy. There's no point. You have to focus on the present. What we have in front of us is a really good team that deserves to be there."
The 28-year old proved he deserved being in the lineup and then some, smashing three home runs in the division series. He started all five games in center field and went 4 for 15 with four RBI and four runs scored while drawing a pair of walks.
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Bader was acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals at the deadline for left-handed pitcher Jordan Montgomery, more for his glove than his bat. He couldn't use either for nearly two months as he worked his way back from a foot injury.
Bader finally made his Yankee debut on Sept. 20 and has made an immediate impact.
"It means a lot, but it's the same game," Bader said of his contributions. "If I did it in the regular season, it would mean just as much. You always take care of the baseball. You always execute your approach and preparation. It's the same game regardless of the emotion before it."
Bader's success has delighted his former little league, and not just because he was once one of them.
Vecchione has formed a bond with Bader and his family dating back to May 2021 when they first met prior to a Mets-Cardinals game. Vecchione stayed in touch with both Bader, through Instagram, and his mom and dad, Janice and Louis, who still live in town.
Eastchester Little League sponsored a clinic Bader attended for several hours last December at Game On 13 in Elmsford. He joined the players for another clinic last winter at the Sports Underdome in Mount Vernon.
Then, on May 17 of this year, when Bader was still playing with the Cardinals, Vecchione organized a large group of little leaguers and parents to attend a game at Citi Field. After a rainout, it ended up being a doubleheader, and Bader visited the kids in the stands between games — even after striking out to end Game 1 with the tying run on base.
"He's great," Vecchione said. "Listen, we get it, he's busy and it's not easy for him. This year when we went, I opened it up to the whole little league and it was mobbed. He still came out and saw the kids and signed all the autographs. It's just great to be able to say to the kids that we had this guy who played Eastchester Little League and now he's in the major leagues."
The organization retired Bader's number earlier during its Opening Day ceremony, which was attended by his parents. Vecchione had originally planned on hanging the No. 48, which Bader wore with the Cardinals at the time, but instead went with No. 7 after Bader's mom found little league photos of him wearing that number.
Vecchione hopes Bader's newfound proximity allows the league to maintain its connection, perhaps even with a future visit to Opening Day.
"These kids all want to play in the major leagues already, and now he comes to play for the Yankees?" Vecchione said. "We have a lot of Met fans in our town, but also a ton of Yankee fans. It blew up a lot when we went to the game. But now the excitement is even more. You see the kids with the Yankee jerseys on, Bader t-shirts. They're rooting for him."
Josh Thomson is the Sports Editor for The Journal News, Poughkeepsie Journal and Middletown Times Herald-Record. He can be reached by e-mail at jthomson@lohud.com, on Twitter at @lohudinsider, and on Instagram at @lohudinsider.
Sean Farrell contributed to this article.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Eastchester NY roots for Harrison Bader in Yankees vs. Astros ALCS 2022
