Yankees’ Stanton epitomizes baseball’s cruel twists in single sequence

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In Monday’s pivotal Game 3 of the World Series—a 4-2 loss—Giancarlo Stanton’s performance underscored both his strengths and vulnerabilities on the field.

In a game where the Yankees struggled to generate offense against Dodgers starter Walker Buehler and a dominant bullpen, Stanton provided a rare spark in the fourth inning with a one-out double as New York trailed by three. Moments later, after Jazz Chisholm Jr. lined out to right, Anthony Volpe singled to left, setting up a critical play at the plate.

Stanton, known for his limited mobility, became the focal point of third-base coach Luis Rojas’ bold call to send him home against the arm of Teoscar Hernandez. Despite an offline throw, Dodgers catcher Will Smith managed the tag, ending the inning and eliminating what would prove to be the Yankees’ best scoring chance until Alex Verdugo’s late homer.

“In that situation, two outs, you’ve got to roll the dice on it,” the slugger added. “Try to get something going and kick-start things. … It was a bang-bang play.” 

Rojas’ decision appeared reasonable given the Yankees’ offensive struggles that night. Stanton’s double had broken up Buehler’s no-hitter, and Buehler went on to allow only one more hit in five shutout innings. The inning’s outcome might have been different had Anthony Rizzo—battling two fractured fingers—been given a chance to bat with runners at the corners.

Manager Aaron Boone has addressed Stanton’s mobility issues in the past, calling it a known limitation balanced by the slugger’s game-changing power, likening it to challenges historically managed by teams with slower players.

“We’re going to challenge Teoscar there a little bit, especially when he’s moving to the right,” Aaron Boone said of the send. “Credit to him, he had a good throw. I thought [Stanton] had a pretty good jump and move around third base. Tough when you’re behind a few there, but a perfect throw is able to get him there. I’ll go back and look at it some more, though.” 

Stanton has proven critical for the Yankees this postseason, joining Juan Soto as a key offensive contributor in their ALDS and ALCS runs. His six playoff home runs and strong October have added to his postseason reputation, yet Monday’s play illustrated how even slight limitations, like Stanton’s speed, can affect outcomes in tight World Series games.

Yankees’ fans react to Stanton’s base running

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