‘A game of adjustments, failures’

Ellsbury working way back from hip injury

PHOENIX

He sat next to the third baseman coach looking at a computer monitor. He later moved to another part of the room talking to another coach.

That’s the routine Yankee midfielder Jacoby Ellsbury goes through to prep for a game.

“We were going over situations,” Ellsbury said before Tuesday night’s game with the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. “I’ll look back on some stuff and I’ll develop a game plan.”

Ellsbury became the first Navajo to play Major League Baseball when he was called up to play for the Boston Red Sox on June 30, 2007.

He played for Boston for eight years and won numerous awards including the Golden Glove and Silver Slugger Award in 2011. More importantly, he was instrumental in helping the Red Sox win two World Series in 2007 and 2013.

Three years ago he signed a lucrative deal as a free agent with the New York Yankees worth $153 million.

Ellsbury said looking over game film is real important, whether you’re in a slump or hitting the ball really well.

“It’s a game of adjustments and it’s a game of failure,” he said. “Even if you’re a .300 hitter you are failing a lot. You are trying to improve and get better and be on top of your game.”

On Tuesday night, Ellsbury went 1-for-4 in his third game back after suffering a hip injury earlier this month. It was a rare series with the Diamondbacks as the Yankees came up short, 5-3. The last time he played in Chase Field was during the 2011 All-Star game.

“It was a great showing,” he said. “I saw a lot of signs in the stands and I am grateful for the support from the Navajo Nation and the different tribes.”

With a potent left arm and jackrabbit speed, Ellsbury put up some gaudy statistics early in his career but in 18 games this season he’s been batting .295 with a .358 OBP and .459 SLG average. Those numbers have pundits questioning his contract with the Yankees.

“I really don’t read into that stuff,” Ellsbury said. “The season is early and that is the way I am looking at it. We’ve won the last three series and as long as keep doing that we should be in good shape.”

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