Yankees' historic home run barrage reminder of October potential

That home run by Bellinger also marked a moment in history in the Bronx. This year's Yankees are the first team since the 2003 Atlanta Braves (featuring Andruw Jones, Chipper Jones and Gary Sheffield) with three outfielders each hitting 25 or more homers in a single season. Bellinger, Judge and Trent Grisham make up this year's Yankees trio of sluggers who established that mark.

While Yankee home runs are nothing new this season (New York batters had hit a major league-leading 219 homers this season heading into Wednesday's matinee), the power barrage against Cavalli served as a reminder of just how dangerous the New York offense can be as the Yankees fight to hold on to a wild-card spot in a loaded American League.

Additionally, the 219 homers this season entering Thursday were their second-most through the club's first 132 games of a season, trailing only their 241 long balls in 2019.

While scoring consistently hasn't been much of a concern for the Yankees this season (their 681 runs this year are their most through their first 132 games of a season since 2019), there are plenty of other issues for the Yankees to work out if they are to once again reach the World Series.

Among them are the defensive miscues that have plagued the Yankees all season and showed up often as the Boston Red Sox came into Yankee Stadium and took three of four games to open the current homestand. 

While New York may have a historic core at the plate, the real question becomes if the Yankees have enough offense to overcome their other shortcomings. The answer to that could determine just how far the Yankees go in the regular season and October.