Yankees’ D.J. LeMahieu, the ultimate teammate, became quiet star with Rockies
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Yankees infielder David John LeMahieu is not a curtain call kind of guy. He’s not crazy about swarms of TV cameras, either.
So the former Rockies All-Star second baseman was out of his comfort zone Friday when he returned to Coors Field for the first time since 2018.
About three hours before the game, LeMahieu sat in the visitors’ dugout, surrounded by reporters and cameras, as he fielded questions.
How did he feel about returning to the ballpark he called home from 2012 to ’18? “Weird, but overall it’s good to be back here.”
LeMahieu made it clear that he valued his time in Colorado, where he evolved from a part-time player into one of the best — although underrated — second basemen in baseball. He helped the Rockies make the playoffs in 2017 and ’18, the only time in franchise history they’ve made the postseason in back-to-back seasons.
“It’s a special place for me,” he said. “I feel like I learned a lot as a player. (I was) part of great teams. I had some unbelievable teammates, so it’s a special place for sure.”
About 20 minutes before the first pitch, the giant video board above left field played a brief homage to LeMahieu, who’s hit .330 in 471 games at Coors and won the National League batting title in 2016, hitting .348. LeMahieu, looking sheepish, came out of the dugout and tipped his cap to the fans who stood and serenaded him with applause and cheers.
The limelight was never LeMahieu’s thing in Colorado, and it’s not his thing in the Big Apple, either. But he talks to the media, in his soft-spoken manner, because he knows it’s part of the job. Because when it comes to work, LeMahieu is all in, all the time.
“You know the thing that stood out for me about DJ, amongst many things, is that DJ exemplifies the definition of a winning player,” said Rockies manager Bud Black. “He cared about winning as much as anybody I’ve been around. He would do anything to help the team win. It’s about how he played defense, how he conducted his at-bats, and about the conversations he had on the field and in the dugout.”
During his seven seasons with the Rockies, LeMahieu became their glue guy. His impact has not been forgotten.
“Somebody asked me today what DJ was like,” said Rockies outfielder/designated hitter Charlie Blackmon, LeMahieu’s close friend and former roommate. “I thought about it for a while, and there are a lot of places you can go, but I said, ‘He’s one of the best all-time teammates.’ ”
Blackmon and LeMahieu still keep in touch, though they now talk more about family than about baseball. Once upon a time, before Blackmon married his wife, Ashley, he was a frequent guest at the home of LeMahiue and his new bride, Jordan. Blackmon would leave extra clothes at the LeMahieu home in Atlanta, and he even stockpiled personal-care stuff in the bathroom.
“A lot of times I would go home with DJ after working out and we’d have a video game sleepover, and Jordan would make us chicken enchiladas,” Blackmon told The Post in 2018. “So I guess I’m going to have to consider myself the official third wheel of that marriage. I should get a T-shirt that says that.”
LeMahieu, the strong, stoic type in the clubhouse, transforms when he’s on the diamond.
“He was always quiet before games, always focused on his work,” right-hander German Marquez recalled. “But as soon as he crossed the line, he was a different DJ. He was talking it up and everything. He’s such a tough player.”
Now that toughness is being tested.
LeMahieu missed the playoffs last year with a broken bone in his big right toe and ligament damage in his second toe. LeMahieu, who turned 35 on Thursday, has struggled at the plate this season. He entered the second half hitting just .220 with a .643 OPS and seven home runs. He’s hopeful he can turn it around over the final two and a half months of the season.
“I’ve been working hard to figure out solutions, for me and for the team,” LeMahieu said. “I think we’ve had a nice break and we’re just ready to move on. We got a lot of big things ahead of us and I think it’s going to be a special second half.”
LeMahieu started at third base Friday night, going 2-for-4 with a pair of singles in the Yankees’ 7-2 loss, posting his first multi-hit game since June 9.
LeMahieu, who once expressed a desire to stay in Colorado, ultimately signed a two-year, $24 million contract with the Yankees. LeMahieu became a star in New York, finishing fourth in the American League MVP voting in 2019 and third in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He slashed .336/.386/.536 with 36 homers and 129 RBIs across those two seasons and was rewarded with a six-year, $90 million deal in January 2021.
There were many who dismissed LeMahieu as a Coors Field creation, but he proved the critics wrong. As did third baseman Nolan Arenado, who was traded to St. Louis and has thrived with the Cardinals.
“I think we were all kind of tired of hearing that narrative,” LeMahieu said. “I thought we were pretty good, no matter where we hit. So I guess it was a good thing for all of us that we proved we weren’t just Coors Field products.”
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