In a 12-0 Grapefruit League rout of the Pittsburgh Pirates at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Wednesday night, Giancarlo Stanton blasted three massive home runs in his first three at-bats.
In just four innings, Stanton amassed a total distance of over 1,300 feet, per Statcast. He opened the game with a 455-foot home run off the top of the batter’s eye, followed in the second inning by a 453-foot grand slam, and in the fourth inning he went solo for 426 feet.
“It is spring, but I haven’t hit three before [in a single game],” Stanton stated. “So it’s cool, and it will be erased in about a week.”
He watched in amazement as left-hander Marco Gonzales gave up three home runs to him. Gonzales teased that his opponent might not be human after the game.
According to Gonzales, Giancarlo “just seems like he’s not from this planet.” “I’ve got to make up a pitch to throw to him next time.”
After a sluggish start to the spring, 34-year-old Stanton is finally finding his swing. In his last 14 at-bats, he has eight hits, four home runs, and ten RBIs. In the Wednesday game, he scored eight runs off of the bat.
Aaron Boone, manager of the Yankees, stated, “He’s looked pretty good all spring, even from the start.” “He’s pretty dangerous when he’s that precise, like he was tonight. This winter, he put forth a lot of effort to position himself for success.”
Stanton just finished one of his worst seasons as a player. He came into camp having focused his health over the winter to put his injury-plagued 2022 and 2023 seasons behind him. He batted.191 with 24 home runs and 60 RBIs in 101 games.
“The way I feel moving around and everything is what I planned for in the offseason,” Stanton stated. It’s a good beginning, a fine taste of spring. And we have the next few months to hold it together.”
