There were some worrying moments during the regular season, but the Yankees are healthy and tearing the cover off the baseball. New York took a 1-0 series lead in the ALDS with a 9-3 victory over the Rays on Monday in San Diego, turning a one-run game into a laugher in the ninth thanks to Giancarlo Stanton's grand slam. It's the second straight game in which the Bombers have hit a grand slam, and the 14th time overall in franchise history, far and away the most by a team in the postseason.
The Yankees are heating up at the perfect time, having set Major League records with 11 home runs and 31 runs scored in three postseason games, highlighted by the two grand slams. Taking a look at all 14 postseason slams in the postseason, as you could imagine hitting one is a pretty good indicator of whether New York won or lost the game:
Giancarlo Stanton (2020 ALDS Game 1): Up 4-3 heading into the top of the ninth, an Aaron Hicks RBI single gave New York some breathing room. After a Tyler Wade walk loaded the bases, Stanton all but ended it by turning on a breaking ball away and sending it 411 feet to center. After playing just 23 games in the regular season, Stanton has hit a home run in each of the Yankees' three postseason games thus far, a bad sign for opposing pitchers.
Gio Urshela (2020 AL Wild Card Game 2): After bashing the Indians and presumptive Cy Young winner Shane Bieber in Game 1, the Yankees found themselves down 4-0 after an inning in last week's Game 2. Then Stanton homered to start the scoring, and a few innings later the bases were loaded for Gio Urshela. Cleveland went to their bullpen despite it only being the top of the fourth... and it did not pay off.
The Yankees took the 5-4 lead and, though there were plenty of fireworks after that play, it helped fuel New York to the 10-9 victory to sweep Cleveland.
Didi Gregorius (2019 ALDS Game 2): Already up 1-0 in the series against the Twins and leading 3-0 in the third inning of Game 2, Gregorius' final home run as a Yankee lit up the stadium. He hit a monster grand slam into the second deck, even staring at his handiwork to ensure it stayed fair. New York would score seven runs in the inning, win 8-2 and eventually sweep Minnesota (again).
Robinson Cano (2011 ALDS Game 1): New York opened up the 2011 postseason at home against the Tigers, taking a 2-1 lead against Cy Young and MVP winner Justin Verlander into the bottom of the sixth. Into the Detroit bullpen by this point, Brett Gardner extended the lead to three on a two-run single before Cano put the game away for good with a towering grand slam to right. The Yankees would win the game 9-3, but the Tigers would win the series in five games.
Ricky Ledee (1999 ALCS Game 4): The Yankees were clinging to a 2-1 series lead and a one-run Game 4 lead heading into the top of the ninth at Fenway against the Red Sox. Thanks to three singles and an error New York scraped across a couple of insurance runs when Rich Garces was replaced on the mound by Rod Beck, who hung a breaking ball that Ricky Ledee didn't miss. He sent it to deep center to put the game out of reach in an eventual 9-2 New York win. They'd win the series in five games and go on to win another World Series.
Tino Martinez (1998 World Series Game 1): The most recent World Series grand slam by the Yankees came in their historic 1998 season against San Diego. Entering the seventh inning of Game 1 down 5-2 the Bombers awoke. Chuck Knoblauch tied the game with a three-run blast, followed up later in the inning by Tino Martinez's line drive grand slam into the third deck to turn a three-run deficit into a four-run lead. The Yanks would take Game 1 9-6, and eventually sweep the Padres.
Paul O'Neill (1997 ALDS Game 3): With the series tied 1-1, the Yankees led the Indians 2-1 in the top of the fourth when Cleveland starter Charles Nagy fell apart. He walked the bases loaded, forcing Chad Ogea into the game with two outs. He took a 3-2 pitch deep to right field to extend the New York lead to 6-1, which would turn out to be the final score. Cleveland, however, would rebound and win the series in five games.
Joe Pepitone (1964 World Series Game 6): The goat in the 1963 World Series loss to the Dodgers, Pepitone atoned himself the following year. Facing elimination in Game 6 against the Cardinals, New York led 3-1 in the eighth when Pepitone's grand slam essentially ended it, forcing a Game 7 (although the Cardinals would win).
Bobby Richardson (1960 World Series Game 1): The Yankees won Game 2 against the Pirates by a 16-3 score, and continued their offensive tear early in Game 3. Already up 2-0 with one out in the first inning, Richardson took Clem Labine deep to left to make it 6-0 in the blink of an eye. The interesting part? He was supposed to bunt, but had to change the plan when he reached two strikes. His two-run single later in the game would set a World Series record with 6 RBIs as New York would win the game, but Pittsburgh would memorably win the Series on Bill Mazeroski's walk-off.
Moose Skowron (1956 World Series Game 7): It remains the only grand slam in a Game 7 in World Series history. A trio of home runs had the Yankees up on the Dodgers 5-0, just nine outs from a seventh championship in 10 years, when Skowron iced it for good. He took a first-pitch Roger Craig offering beyond the left field wall to make it a 9-0 New York advantage, as they'd cruise from there to win it.
Yogi Berra (1956 World Series Game 2): A few days before Skowron clinched the Series for the Yanks, they were down 1-0 in the series to Brooklyn. In the second inning of Game 2, already up 2-0, the Hall of Famer appeared to start the rout with a grand slam off Don Newcombe to make it 6-0 New York. Instead, the opposite happened, as the Dodgers scored six runs of their own in the bottom of the second before winning 13-8. This is the only time in Yankees history that they'd hit a grand slam in the postseason and lose. It's okay, though, because on top of Skowron's grand slam in Game 7, Berra hit a pair of homers of his own.
Mickey Mantle (1953 World Series Game 5): In a pivotal Game 5 in which the series was tied at two, Brooklyn miscues put the Dodgers in a hole early. In the third inning of a 1-1 game there were two outs and a man on third when an error, a hit by pitch and a walk made it 2-0 Yanks and loaded the bases. Brooklyn brought in Russ Meyer to replace starter Johnny Podres, but it was to no avail, as Mantle hit a grand slam to make it 6-0 in a game that New York would ultimately win 11-7.
Gil McDougald (1951 World Series Game 5): Another Game 5 with the series tied 2-2, the Giants struck first with a run in the bottom of the first, but it was all Yankees after that. In the third inning Joe DiMaggio tied the game on an RBI single, and after Johnny Mize was intentionally walked to load the bases, Gil McDougald made their cross-town opponents pay. The rookie hit a grand slam to make it 5-1, and New York would eventually cruise 13-1 en route to winning the series in six.
Tony Lazzeri (1936 World Series Game 2): The second World Series grand slam ever - the first came 16 years earlier in 1920 by Cleveland's Elmer Smith - came by someone who had a flair for them. Lazzeri never hit more than 18 home runs in a season, but became the first player to ever hit two grand slams in the same game in May 1936, and was the first player to complete a natural cycle (single, double, triple, home run, in that order) with a grand slam. Naturally it was he who busted open Game 2 of the '36 Series against the Giants, capping a seven-run third inning with a grand slam in what became an 18-4 laugher.