The combination of three days off between series and cooler temperatures did nothing to cool Giancarlo Stanton's hot bat.
On Monday night, as the Yankees defeated the Guardians 5-2 in Game 1 of the ALCS, Stanton picked up where he left off against the Royals, hitting a 439-foot insurance homer in the bottom of the seventh inning.
“It’s just that some kind of [big] He has a presence in the middle of our lineup,” coach Aaron Boone said. “Obviously, that's his ability to stay focused. That ball is absolutely nail-biting when he hits it from the back of the bullpen on a cold night.”
Stanton also gave up a walk during the Yankees' third-inning rally and scored on a wild pitch.
He finished with one hit in three at-bats, but both outs resonated well off the bat, and a series of “quality” at-bats, in Boone's words, resulted in deep fly balls.
“We understand how important each pitch, each moment is,” Stanton said. “I understand that I don't always succeed in those moments, but I'll do whatever I can, whether it's any little information or video or swing, to be in the best position in this moment.”
Stanton posted a 1.132 OPS in four games in the ALDS, including the game-tying home run in the seventh inning in Game 3 that swung the series in the Yankees' favor. He had four of the Yankees' 14 RBIs.
Stanton was an incredible power hitter in the regular season, but he takes it to another level in the postseason.
He has 13 home runs in 115 postseason at-bats, all with the Yankees, and only Babe Ruth had a higher total home run percentage during that period.
“Putting the ball in the seat…that could be a big thing,” Boone said. “But in general, I think the strength of our group is what we need to try to get us through.”
Stanton, who also hit a home run, and Juan Soto, both good hitters, combined to take the pressure off Aaron Judge, who has only had one extra-base hit in five playoff games.
His entire career story of struggling in the playoffs continued.
But Stanton was just as happy that he and Judge issued walks in the third inning, when starter Alex Cobb was out with an injury and reliever Joey Cantillo was unable to bat. It seemed like it was.
“[Walks] It’s huge,” Stanton said. “I can't stress that enough: don't force things. So in the biggest moments, you might overdo it or overextend it a little bit, but we've seen so far that they're We have done a great job of taking what we are given, and we will continue to do so.”
