The Yankees make it 6-0 to win their first MLB series of the 2023 season on Sunday after debutant starter Jhony Brito pitched five innings without a run and the bullpen shut down the Giants. However, the Yankees power show in their 6-0 win in front of 42,053 people can hardly be ignored.
Aaron Judge hit his second home run to remind fans of his historic 2022 season to start the Yankees power show. But it is the colossal shot Giancarlo Stanton blasted two batters later that got everyone on social media talking.
The Giant Stanton hit
With one out in the third, Judge hit a line drive over the left-field fence for the Yankees’ first home run of the day, giving them a 1-0 lead. After Anthony Rizzo hit a single, Stanton hit a huge shot to center off the Giants pitcher Ross Stripling.
The big hitter for New York Yankees blasted the ball 485 feet away. It went over the batter’s eye in center field and past the camera on top of it. Stanton, who started the first two games of the season in right field, was the DH for the first time this game.
In the third inning, the first pitch Stripling threw at him was a slider near the bottom of the strike zone. Stanton blasted it without hesitation. MLB says that it was Stanton’s second-longest home run in the Statcast Era (since 2015). When he was with the Marlins on August 6, 2016, he hit a home run that traveled 504 feet. In 2020, he hit a home run against Washington that went 483 feet.
On Sunday, when Stanton smashed his second homer of the 2023 season at 117.8 mph, the Yankees immediately got two runs to extend their lead over the Giants to 3-0.
Stanton’s blast on Sunday was also the third-longest home run ever hit at Yankee Stadium, based on how far it was thought to go. In 2017, Judge hit a home run that went 496 feet against the Blue Jays and a home run that went 495 feet against the Orioles.
“We were in the dugout, just scratching our heads a little bit because it went so far,” said Kyle Higashioka, who, along with Aaron Judge, also homered for the Yankees.
Then Higashioka laughed, which seemed like the right thing to do after seeing such a wonder.
“He’s definitely one of one in terms of putting a hurt on a baseball,” the catcher added. “It’s just so much fun to watch him every day.”
Judge-Stanton pair’s 31st Yankees power show
It was the 31st time that both Judge and Stanton homered in the same game since they started playing together for the Yankees in 2018. Stanton can give you more than just a show though they together are a powerhouse duo.
When both Stanton and Judge hit home runs in the same game, the Yankees are 29-2, which is a .936 winning percentage. They are 25-2 in the regular season, and Stanton is the one who hits the hardest.
Imagine what a nightmare that would be for the rest of baseball if the pair remains on fire. The Yankees have always been known for their power. Last year, they led MLB with 254 home runs on their way to 99 wins and a spot in the ALCS. In the first three games of the season, Stanton and Judge each hit two home runs for the Yankees.
When informed where it ranked among his personal “tape-measure” homers, Stanton said, “That’s cool that it’s up there. I don’t worry about that too much. It just put us in a good spot to win the game.”
Stanton probably enjoyed his home run, but he also seemed to like Jhony Brito’s first game, because he said, “He was big-time for us.”
Home runs are raining
In their first three games, the Yankees hit seven home runs. It was the fifth time in the history of the team that they hit multiple home runs in each of the first three home games of a season. In the series, both Judge and Stanton had two homers each.
On Sunday, Judge’s solo home run off Ross Stripling in the third inning was impressive, going 392 feet and 111.4 miles per hour. However, Stanton’s solo home run in the same inning was even better.
Aaron Boone, the manager of the Yankees, spoke about Stanton’s power, “G’s weird, man.” In the three games, the Yankees scored 18-7 against the Giants. So far, Judge has hit 222 home runs in 732 games, which is the same number as Philadelphia legend Ryan Howard.
Social media abuzz over Yankees power show
Stanton’s home run was more of a talking point because of how far it went. And since it happened in the same game as a Judge home run, which is almost a foolproof way to win, fans have started to dream of a big summer in the Bronx.
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