Giancarlo Stanton’s homers at Fenway put him among ranks of Yankee legends Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio
BOSTON — It was not always easy for Giancarlo Stanton.
With his larger-than-life stature and his MVP pedigree came huge expectations. Perhaps they were unreasonable at the time. Stanton, who was booed in his first game at Yankee Stadium, has now reached the potential fans hoped for and have written his name in some pretty special company.
As the Yankees were battling the Red Sox for the top American League Wild Card spot this weekend, Stanton was unstoppable. He went 7-for-12 with a double, three home runs and 10 RBI. He is only the sixth Yankee to homer in three consecutive games during a single series at Fenway — joining Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Bernie Williams and Andruw Jones. Only Stanton and DiMaggio homered in all three games of a three-game series.
He hit the game-winning grand slam in the eighth inning Sunday night and his two-run homer in the eighth Sunday proved to be the difference. He was the clutch player of the critical series against the Red Sox.
“You can’t be scared of those moments or they’ll sneak up on you real quick and you’ll be the one to get all the big moments,” Stanton said of his clutch hits over the weekend. “So I mean, you gotta gotta be prepared, you got to do your homework and just zone in on what you need to do and at the end of the day it’s still the same game I’ve been playing my whole life.
“So you got to be able to overcome those moments. You’re not gonna succeed in all of them but you gotta be ready and confident for sure.”
For that, Stanton was named the American League Player of the Week on Monday. It’s a well-earned honor.
Stanton hit .409 with four runs scored, a double, four home runs, 13 RBI and a 1.000 slugging percentage over the Yankees’ last six games. He hammered a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning on Saturday, becoming the first Yankees player to accomplish the feat since Gary Sanchez on Aug. 30, 2020.
He finished the weekend with three homers and 10 RBI, becoming the fourth Yankees player in history to reach those totals in any three-game span against Boston — joining Hall of Famers Mantle (1954), Lou Gehrig (1931) and Ruth (1927).
“That’s a man that really hasn’t gotten enough credit for what he’s done,” Yankees slugger Aaron Judge said. “Coming here into New York, one of the biggest superstars in the game coming out of Miami, that’s tough. There’s only very few guys that don’t have to adjust coming to the Yankees, but he’s a guy that day in and day out produces for us. He’s come up with that big clutch hit for us when the team has needed it. You saw it. He comes to the plate in the eighth, trailing by a couple runs, a couple guys on, I know he’s gonna do what needs to be done to help us win a ballgame.
“That’s why I love having him behind me. I know I got some protection back there and I know if I don’t get the job done, if I don’t move the runners over, somebody’s gonna pick us up and help lead this team,” Judge continued. “He’s one of the leaders on this team. He has been a leader for quite a long time and it’s just awesome playing with him.”
In the month of September, Stanton has 26 hits, nine home runs and 22 RBI in 22 games. In other words, Stanton has carried the Yankees from out of the playoff picture to back into command of their own destiny.
But he’s been more of a regular player this season. After two seasons mostly lost to injuries, Stanton has played in 133 games, the most since 2018, his first year in pinstripes. He’s also played in the outfield again for the first time since October 2019.
“In a way he’s come up big all year,” Aaron Boone said. “I mean obviously this is Fenway Park and we’re battling with them and these games are so big that maybe it’s to another level, but he’s been coming up big for us in big situations all season long. Obviously he’s locked in right now and playing so well and he’s so focused.
“I am so happy for him and proud of them. And love the fact that he’s in such a good place.”
