Giancarlo Stantona ruined the game on Wednesday night. That's why you put up with him clogging up the designated hitter's spot in the Yankee lineup, and sometimes the base paths.
When you have that kind of power and can deliver in the tense moments, it doesn't matter if you're not a good baserunner.
All this hand-wringing about the things Stanton can't do seems ridiculous after his stellar performance in Game 3 of the AL Division Series against the Royals. Essentially, Stanton led the Yankees to a 3-2 victory in, as he put it, “the big swing game.”
He scored the game-winning solo goal in the top half of the eighth inning, giving the Yanks their final margin of victory. This came after he scored an RBI double earlier in the evening to drive in their first run.
He finished 3-for-5 with two RBIs. Stanton even stole a base.
It was a great performance on the night with the rest of his teammates going a combined 1 for 25. The only other hit was Antoni Volpe single.
Without Stanton's swings – and a bullpen that has been great throughout the series – the Yankees' season could have been the one on the line in this best-of-three series rather than the Royals, who will try to stay alive by winning Thursday's Game 4.
“He's a killer,” Yankee manager With Aaron Boone he said of Stanton in the postgame interview room. “It's amazing or I just admire how well he can focus in those important moments and just mentally go to another place. The home run at-bat was phenomenal. I think he went there to do it and got really strong support (Kris) Bubićwho is a neutral guy who excludes rightists and leftists.
“I thought he gave up all the right offers and found the one he was looking for and didn't miss it. Obviously, it's an important evening for him.”
“That's what I came here for,” Stanton said in the interview room. “It's not always going to be successful, but I just have to keep working and give myself the best opportunity.”
It was the first Yankee home run since the eighth inning or later in a postseason game Raul Ibanez w ALDS w 2012 r.
Stanton's big night was crucial for the Yankees in part because Judge Aarontheir best player is 1-for-11 in the series. While Stanton said of Judge, “He's definitely going to do some damage, it's just a matter of time,” it's still obvious that Judge's October struggles will continue to be a topic in pinstripes while they last.
The rotation hasn't fared well, posting an ERA of 6.08 in the first three games, although one can hope Gerrita Cole’a he is better in the fourth game. The bullpen (13.2 innings pitched, one unearned run allowed), however, was a constant treat.
However, if the Yankees do advance and accomplish something great in October, Stanton's home run will likely become a signature moment in every game they make.
And that's how it should be. Stanton has been a regular contributor to the team in October since donning pinstripes in 2018. He currently has 12 home runs and 27 RBI in 30 postseason games with the Yankees. Yes, there were overtimes with the bat where he waved at unhittable breaking balls in the second batter's box. But in the postseason era, when the Yankees as a team struggled too many times on offense, he remained dangerous.
Postseason Giancarlo may be the best Giancarlo.
In fact, his OPS of .964 in the playoffs compares well to some of the Yankees' big names. This isn't a complete list, just a select few, but it's quite interesting. Dear Ruth I Lou Gehrigatwo of the greatest postseason beasts of all time, each posting a 1.214 OPS in their October careers. Hard to match. But Stanton has a higher postseason OPS than Miki Mantle (.908), who hit 18 home runs in the World Series, Derek Jeter (0,838) i Joe DiMaggio (0,760).
Make of that what you will, but that at least speaks volumes about Stanton's value to the Yankees in these kinds of big games where the heart rate is high.
Before Wednesday's game, Stanton said he went out for early batting practice, hoping to become familiar with the backdrop of Kauffman Stadium and assess how the ball was moving. He also liked the idea of coming to work “when it's a little quieter, don't do anything else, just work and see what you can do.”
It worked. His homer bounced off Bubic 3-1 and flew 417 feet to left field. MLB's Statcast measured the exit velocity at 182.9 mph.
“It wasn't a bad performance,” Stanton said. “I just got back into shape, arrived on time and managed to pull it off.”
He scored a stolen base early in the game when the Royals weren't paying attention to him, and he jumped to second in a huge leap. This was his first theft – this was his first attempt! – from 2020. He joked that his teammates' reaction to the swing was “honestly, probably better than the homer.”
But this isn't really his game. And that's okay. He's not a gutsy hitter who you'd hope would get an infield hit or two. His game is pure power, the kind he showed in Game 3, which fits the Yankees, who led the MLB with 237 homers.
If the Yankees get another dose in Game 4, they might be able to clinch the series. This will take them another step closer to a truly memorable spot and give Stanton, with or without another stolen base, more games to potentially destroy.
