Much has been said about how the New York Yankees received the short end of the stick in their trade with the St. Louis Cardinals, which saw starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery go the other way in exchange for outfielder Harrison Bader just before the 2022 trade deadline.

However, it seems as if Bader is making a late push towards tilting the scales back in the Yankees' favor, and there might not be a better time for him to do so than the postseason.

During the bottom of the third inning, Harrison Bader squared off against the Cleveland Guardians' Cal Quantrill. Quantrill went ahead early in the at-bat, throwing two quick strikes to put the count at 0-2. Bader rallied back, taking three straight pitches outside the plate for balls.

And then on the sixth pitch of the at-bat, Bader unleashed a missile to left-center field to answer back after Steven Kwan's home run in the top-half of the inning.

In doing so, Harrison Bader etched his name into the Yankees record books. He became the first player in franchise history to hit his first home run for the ballclub during the playoffs, a testament to the ice in Bader's veins.

According to ESPN Stats & Info: “Harrison Bader is the first player in Yankees history to have his first career home run with the team come in the postseason.”

The 28-year old outfielder only appeared in 49 plate appearances for the Yankees since the trade, and he was a net negative during that span. He has slashed .217/.245/.283 since calling Yankee stadium home, but he rewarded manager Aaron Boone's show of faith in him with a clutch dinger.

Perhaps this could be the turning point for Harrison Bader, who has dealt with injury woes for a considerable part of his career. Yankees fans know what Bader is capable of. In addition to his solid contributions on the basepaths and on the field, if Bader can find the hitting groove he had back in the 2018 and 2021 seasons, the Yankees will become an even greater force to be reckoned with.

Meanwhile, Cardinals fans will either be heartbroken or proud to see products of their system such as Bader and Matt Carpenter flourish with the Yankees deep in the postseason. Still, they can rest easy knowing that Jordan Montgomery, who pitched to the tune of a 3.11 ERA with St. Louis, should be a vital part of their starting rotation for years to come.