Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees forgotten star, again thriving when lights shine brightest
The 2024 Yankees have often been referred to by their trio of superstars in Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, and Gerrit Cole.
Giancarlo Stanton reminded everyone on Wednesday that there is a fourth star on the roster, and one who owns the October stage.
The former MVP put the Yanks on his back in the form of a three-hit night, including the eventual game-winning home run in a 3-2 victory to put the Bombers on the brink of the ALCS. It was the latest notch on Stanton’s playoff belt, which includes an at-bat to homerun ratio that is second-best in baseball history, behind only Babe Ruth.
“He's a killer. It’s remarkable,” Aaron Boone said. “I admire how well he's able to focus in these big moments. To just go to a different place mentally. The at-bat on the home run was phenomenal. I think he went up there to do that.”
Stanton hasn’t been able to put together the type of consistent, remarkable regular seasons in the Bronx as he did in Miami, but like clockwork, he finds his groove in the postseason, unquestionably the most productive Yankee in October since joining the team over the last five years.
On Wednesday, in a pivotal game three on the road, Stanton was almost the entire Yankee offense, bringing in the first run of the game on a booming double before his home run in the eighth put the Yanks ahead for good. It was the first game-tying or go-ahead playoff home run in the eighth inning or later since Raul Ibanez’s heroics in 2012.
“This is what I came here for,” Stanton said. “Not always gonna be successful here, but just gotta keep working and put yourself in the best opportunity.”
Fans believed Stanton was brought here to win MVPs and hit 50 home runs alongside Aaron Judge, but injuries prevented that from ever happening. Still, he has been more than worthy of his stardom when it matters most, even as noise rises around him about his lack of speed on the bases, which led some to wonder if benching him was the best move, as to not lose any potential runs on the basepaths.
Instead, Stanton reminded the baseball world that, even at 34 years old, he is still a star, especially when the lights are shining the brightest.
“He’s an MVP and Giancarlo Stanton. A lot comes with that,” Boone said. “He’s just so good at tuning out the noise and getting himself to a place mentally where he’s just locked in on every single pitch.”
