The New York Yankees face a do-or-die Game 3 of the American League Division Series on Tuesday night against the Toronto Blue Jays, and Austin Wells is channeling an ex- teammate to help him get ready.
Wells showed up to his pregame media availability wearing a “Hip Hip Jose” t-shirt for former Yankees catcher Jose Trevino. Trevino played for the Yankees from 2022 to 2024, making the All-Star team in his first season. Wells ultimately wrested the starting catcher spot from him last year.
“Jose being the guy that was there for me this last year and this year, it's led me to have incredible belief in the work that I'm doing to help the team win,” he said, per MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. “And also not taking any pitches for granted. They all count the same whether we're up ten or it's a close game.”
Wells has had an inconsistent two seasons at the plate, but managed to hit 21 home runs in 2025 and came up with a clutch hit in the Wild Card Series against the Boston Red Sox to help the Yankees to victory. Baseball Savant also rates him as one of the best pitch framers in the game.
The Yankees trust Carlos Rodon to keep their season alive
Wells will be behind the plate on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium, catching 2025 All-Star Carlos Rodon, tasked with getting his team to a possible Game 4 on Wednesday.
“We’ve got to win today,” Wells said. “The real only focus is going out there at 8:00 and doing what we can to get [Shane] Bieber off the mound as quickly as we can, and put up a lot of runs so Carlos can go out there and do what he does best.”
The Yankees have had limited success against Blue Jays starting pitcher Shane Bieber. Bieber owns a 4.11 ERA against New York. He faced the Yankees in the 2024 ALCS as a member of the Cleveland Guardians, allowing two runs over 5.2 innings with seven strikeouts and three walks. The Yankees tattooed him for seven runs on nine hits over 4.2 innings in the 2020 COVID playoffs.
As for Rodon, he was just good enough in the Yankees' Game 2 win over the Red Sox last week, going six innings and giving up three runs in the 4-3 victory.
“He’s been one of our horses this year,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “He’s had a great year, and anytime we give him the ball, we feel like we have an excellent chance to win.”
