NEW YORK — Eugenio Suarez was traded twice in the past half-decade, dumped because of his salary both times. His production had been trending in the wrong direction, and as recently as nine months ago, it seemed Suarez’s time in the big leagues might be nearing an end.
These are facts worth remembering on nights like April 1, when Suarez was not only still in the majors, not only starting for a team expected to contend, but continuing to hit about as well as anyone in his profession, something he has done since midway through last summer.
Suarez blasted the go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning here at Yankee Stadium, lifting the Diamondbacks to a 7-5 win while overshadowing Corbin Burnes’ uneven debut.
“I think the hard work is paying off right now,” Suarez said. “I’ve been enjoying my process.”
Corbin Carroll connected on a two-run shot, his first home run of the year. A.J. Puk was given the club’s first save opportunity of the season and converted it, giving up a solo shot in the process. And the Diamondbacks rallied for five runs in the eighth inning, the second consecutive game in which they had an offensive outburst in the eighth.
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Burnes, the club’s new $210 million starter, gave up four runs (two earned) in 4 1/3 innings, an outing that would have gone better were it not for a defensive miscue behind him.
The Diamondbacks trailed, 4-3, when Suarez came to the plate with two outs in the eighth. He was exactly the player the Diamondbacks would have wanted up in that situation.
A day earlier, he was named the National League Player of the Week, an honor he earned by swatting four homers in the season’s first four games. The hot start was just a continuation of the success he enjoyed from last July 3 onward, a stretch in which he mashed 24 homers in 77 games.
With the count 2-2, the Yankees’ Mark Leiter Jr. left a splitter over the plate and Suarez drove it out to left field.
“I was just being aware to something in the strike zone and be ready for a mistake,” Suarez said. “That’s what he did — I don’t think he tried to throw that pitch right there. But he made that mistake and I was ready to hit it.”
Last July, when his average was hovering around .200, Suarez said he changed his pregame routine, practicing faster and harder and taking reps that were more game-like. He also said he shortened his swing, an adjustment aimed at combating the type of velocity hitters see every night, and he credited the club’s hitting coaches for their help.
“My swings, they were a lot longer than right now,” he said. “Right now, it’s more compact. It’s shorter and goes through the ball. Last year, I think I tried too hard to find a way to help the team win games with my offense.
“When you try so hard is when you get in trouble. I tried to make it simple and go out there and enjoy the game.”
Since July 3, Suarez owns a .309/.356/.646 line with 29 homers and 80 RBIs. Only four hitters (Aaron Judge, Bobby Witt Jr., Shohei Ohtani, Vlad Guerrero Jr.) have a higher OPS than his 1.002. Only one hitter (Judge, 30) has more homers. No one has driven in more runs.
His five homers this season are the most in the majors — they also represent all of his hits on the year. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he is the third player since 1900 to have each of his first five hits be homers, joining Rob Deer (1992) and Rodolfo Castro (2021).
“If it were that easy, I would take all the homers,” Suarez said. “But it’s not easy. I know all my hits right now have been homers, but it’s something that’s out of my control.”
He continued: “I think I’ve never had a start like this. It feels great. I just want to continue doing it like that, continue trusting myself. See what happens and see how the season treats me. Baseball is hard. You’ve got to make those adjustments. When you have moments like this, you have to enjoy it and be humble.”
Burnes dazzled in the first two innings before giving up solo homers in the third and fourth. The game was tied at 2 in the fourth when first baseman Josh Naylor tried to feed Burnes covering first. The toss sailed over the pitcher’s head, and two runs scored instead of the inning coming to an end.
Burnes thought he lost the feel for his cutter after the first two innings, but he said he didn’t deal with anything different emotionally despite it being his first start with his new team.
“No, the preparation was the same, just go out and stick to my routines and go through my process,” Burnes said. “I just didn’t execute quite as many pitches tonight.”
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Before the game, Lovullo told reporters he had just reminded his hitters about how “intimidating” they can be when they keep pushing for nine innings, something they did in their comeback win on Sunday. They did it again on Tuesday.
“We made some mistakes that put us in the situation we were in, but today the word that sticks out is resilience,” Lovullo said. “Our guys just hung in there.”
The win moved the Diamondbacks over .500 for the first time this year. They are 3-2.
Coming up
Wednesday: At New York, 4:05 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen (0-1, 9.00) vs. Yankees LHP Carlos Rodon (1-0, 1.69).
Thursday: At New York, 4:05 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Merrill Kelly (1-0, 1.69) vs. Yankees RHP Carlos Carrasco (0-0, 13.50).
Friday: At Washington, 3:45 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Brandon Pfaadt (0-1, 4.50) vs. Nationals RHP Jake Irvin (0-0, 360 ERA).
