Giancarlo Stanton caps postseason debut with epic home run
Giancarlo Stanton and the postseason were made for each other.
The New York Yankees slugger made his postseason debut in Wednesday’s AL wild-card game after playing in 1,144 regular season games. He announced his presence in epic fashion, capping the Yankees’ 7-2 victory with a majestic solo home run off Oakland Athletics ace reliever Blake Treinen.
What it lacked in clutchness — the Yankees already held a comfortable 6-2, eighth-inning lead at the time of Stanton’s blast — it more than made up on the shock-and-awe scale. Stanton’s homer sailed over the left-field foul pole, making it difficult to tell whether is was actually fair.
The distance was not an issue. Statcast measured it at 443 feet after it landed comfortably in the second deck.
Remember that 116.1 mph HR by @TheJudge44?
His teammate, @Giancarlo818, just had to top it.
Stanton’s 117.4 mph blast is now the hardest-hit HR #statcast has tracked in postseason play pic.twitter.com/sMco6RS4An
— #Statcast (@statcast) October 4, 2018
At 117 mph off the bat, Stanton’s home run set the Statcast era record for the hardest hit in the postseason. The previous record was held by teammate Aaron Judge, and lasted approximately three hours.
Yeah, we’d say the Yankees mashers are locked in and ready for October.
It’s an especially good start for Stanton, whom we believe has a lot to prove in his first postseason while wearing Yankees pinstripes. Prior to the home run, Stanton drew a walk and scored a run in four plate appearances.
The next stop for Stanton and the Yankees: Fenway Park.
More from Yahoo Sports:
• Passan: Where do Cubs go after embarrassing postseason exit?
• The unlikely hero that saved the Rockies season
• Why Dodgers aren’t starting Kershaw in Game 1
• MLB postseason field is set: Here’s the schedule and how to watch
