Giancarlo Stanton has established himself as one of the best postseason hitters in modern history for the New York Yankees. On Wednesday night, Stanton hit the game-winning home run against the Kansas City Royals, helping the Yankees take a 2-1 lead in the American League Division Series.
Stanton also dominated the postseason hitting department, along with the franchise's most iconic player. Stanton's solo home run in the eighth inning, giving the Yankees a 3-2 lead, was his 12th home run of the postseason in just 108 at-bats. This brings Stanton's total postseason home run to at bat ratio to 9.4. This is the second-best mark in MLB history, behind Yankees legend Babe Ruth's 8.6. Stanton and Ruth are the only two players with a ratio below 10.
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New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (27) hits a single in the sixth inning of Game 3 of the NLDS of the 2024 MLB Playoffs against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. (Jay Biggerstaff -Imagn Images)
After the game, Stanton said of his strong playoff run: “This is the biggest moment. We've got to be ready and we've got to want it.” “You don’t always succeed, but you don’t get shocked at the big moments.”
However, all of Ruth's postseason home runs came in the World Series, which was the only postseason series he played in in the 1920s and '30s. All of Stanton's postseason home runs came in earlier rounds, as the Yankees have yet to reach the World Series.
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Giancarlo Stanton #27 of the New York Yankees watches Game 1 of the ALCS between the New York Yankees and Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on Wednesday, October 9, 2022 in Houston, Texas. (Logan Lilley/MLB Photo via Getty Images)
Stanton finished the game with three hits, one RBI, two RBIs, and even a rare stolen base. Stanton stole second base in the sixth inning, his first stolen base of the season and his first since August 2020.
“He wasn't holding me back and I was slow getting to the plate,” Stanton said of the time he stole a base from Royals pitcher John Shriver.
Meanwhile, fellow Yankees star slugger and captain Aaron Judge finished the game with 0 for 4 and a strikeout, lowering his 2024 postseason batting average to .091. Judge currently has the worst strikeout rate in MLB postseason history at 34.3%.
The Yankees, who currently lead the series 2-1, are one win away from defeating Kansas City and advancing to the American League Championship Series.
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New York's ace pitcher Gerrit Cole is scheduled to pitch in Thursday's Game 4, and the Yankees will aim to end the series without returning home to play Game 5.
If the Yankees win Thursday, they will have home-field advantage in the Championship Series for the first time since 2012.
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