The New York Yankees needed a hero heading into Game 3 of the ALDS, with Aaron Judge faltering , Juan Soto walking and the rest of the lineup doing almost nothing. Then, Giancarlo Stanton stepped up.
The 34-year-old star drove in the Bombers’ first run with a laser of a double. New York eventually tacked on another run, but gave Kansas City both scores back a couple of innings later.
Yankees fans, who watched their team manage just one run in Game 2, braced for a likely loss. But Stanton had other plans. He pulverized a towering solo shot to left, giving the Yankees a 3-2 win.
GIANCARLO STANTON COMES TO LIFE IN THE POSTSEASON ONCE AGAIN!!!! pic.twitter.com/Aaf1b9ou7v
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) October 10, 2024
A few more big games like that, and Stanton will expunge all the feelings many associate with his time in pinstripes. In 2017, the year before the Yankees acquired him, Stanton crushed 59 homers and drove in 132 runs for the Miami Marlins. Since then, he hasn’t cracked 40 dingers, and he’s driven in triple digits only once (2018).
Much of the declined output can be attributed to his constant injuries. He's only averaged 95 games per season — 106 when the pandemic-shortened 2020 season is removed.
However, the drop-off isn’t merely injury-related. Stanton slashed an outstanding .268/.360/.554 as a Marlin, compared to a ho-hum .241/.323/.483 as a Yankee.
While Yankees fans have been awed by his molten hot streaks, they’ve been equally distressed by his ice cold stretches, punctuated by strikeouts on sliders three feet off the plate. His lack of consistency and inability to stay on the field have made him an afterthought as Judge became a legend.
This year, with Soto in the picture, casual fans probably wouldn’t even notice if Stanton wasn’t in the lineup.
But Stanton was impossible to miss on Wednesday night in Kansas City. And if he can go on one of his runs of unconscious hitting, he just might lead the Yankees to a long-awaited 28th championship, earning hero status in New York for the rest of time.
