PHOENIX — LUUUUUUKE!
That has become the battle cry for these Accidental Yankees. The cheer will be heard Tuesday night at Chase Field from Yankee fans when Luke Voit comes to the plate in the first inning against the Diamondbacks’ Zack Greinke.
The Yankees are on an inspiring roll and Voit, rightfully named the AL Player of the Week on Monday, is at the center of all the winning.
Everyone loves a story of overcoming great odds — and Voit is just that, discarded by the Cardinals to the Yankees last July 29 in a trade that was a steal for Brian Cashman & Co. as pitchers Chasen Shreve and Giovanny Gallegos were shipped to St. Louis with international bonus slot money.
The Cardinals could not find a position for Voit, not realizing his position is simply hitter.
With all the Yankees’ big guns — Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Didi Gregorius, Aaron Hicks and Miguel Andujar — going down, it has been Voit who has filled the Bombers’ void.
Voit has been on base 38 straight games. He is hitting .283 overall and is tied with Gary Sanchez for the team lead in home runs with eight and is second in the AL in RBIs with 25.
Voit really took off 11 games ago when he went back to using Andujar’s bat, which he also did late last season. Andujar’s bat is the same length, 34 inches, as his own, but weighs an ounce less at 31 ounces, enabling Voit to catch up to fastballs that were beating him.
Baseball is not only a game of inches, it is a game of ounces, too.
It’s also a game of heart. And Voit is not afraid to show his emotions, easily winning over Yankees fans. As Voit charged into the visiting clubhouse Sunday at Oracle Park after lacing three hits in the Yankees 11-5 win over the Giants to complete the three-game sweep and give them nine wins in the last 10 games, he let our a primal scream, much to the delight of the fans who were in the tunnel area.
Luke Voit is letting it rip.
Over his last six games, Voit is batting .480 (12-for-25) with three home runs and a staggering 1.447 OPS.
As for this ride going from nowhere in St. Louis to saving the Yankees, Voit told The Post, “It’s crazy. You finally make it to the big leagues [in 2017], you get stuck behind guys, you think you are going to make the team the next year and you don’t make the team.”
At the start of 2018, he found himself back in Triple-A Memphis at the age of 27.
Coaches told Voit, a 22nd-round draft pick in 2013, there were 29 other teams watching him, too. The Yankees were watching closely as Voit, who played only eight games with St. Louis last year, hit .299 for Memphis.
“The Yankees saw how hard I hit the ball,’’ said Voit, who grew up a Mark McGwire fan.
Exit velocity got the big right-handed hitter into the Yankees mix. Walks helped, too. The rest is history. Voit hit .333 with a 1.095 OPS in 39 games last season. Greg Bird continued to have injury issues, then everyone else got hurt, and now Voit is carrying the offense.
Doubters thought he might be a flash in the pan. No doubts now.
“He’s feeling really good right now and, hopefully we can ride him as long as we can,’’ Yankees hitting coach Marcus Thames said. “I keep telling him: ‘Just be Luke. Don’t try to do too much because we’ve got a lot of guys out. Just do your part. Be the best version of yourself as you can. You can’t hit a grand slam with nobody on base.’
“That’s the mindset he has to take.’’
Voit, who is making $573,200 this season, a bargain for the Yankees, has done just that. Voit is letting his hitting talents take him to this next level.
“I’m having a blast right now with all these guys,’’ Voit said, “we’re all in it together.’’
And he is just being Luke.
Or, as the fans scream: LUUUUUUKE!
