The rest of the lineup, though…
Division Series – New York Yankees v Kansas City Royals – Game 3 / Jamie Squire/GettyImages
Through three games of the ALDS against the Kansas City Royals, one thing has become very clear: the rest of the New York Yankees’ lineup needs to follow Giancarlo Stanton’s lead.
Following an unpleasant 48 hours post-Game 2 loss that included calls for Stanton’s benching, as well as far harsher insults levied at Aaron Judge, the 34-year-old slugger did what he’s largely done for seven years in a Yankees uniform. He shrugged off his ugly-looking at-bats and got back to mashing.
Because, though fans somehow forget this lesson time and again, one Stanton at-bat never affects the next. He can chase a slider in the other batter’s box, then compose himself and strike a laser in a crucial situation the next time he comes to the dish. Fans, scorned by Game 2 and likely aggrieved about something else entirely, zoned in on Stanton’s legs and declared that he — not Judge, not Austin Wells, not Carlos Rodón — was taking runs off the scoreboard by moving station-to-station.
How did he respond? By ignoring the splits and the criticism and showing up in October. Again. Providing a shining example for a few of his disappearing teammates, Stanton utterly destroyed a double, homer and another base hit, singlehandedly crafting the margin in a 3-2 win.
Credit to Clarke Schmidt. Shoutout to the bullpen. But Stanton, who postgame declared he’s in it for “the weight of the moment,” took hold of this game and wouldn’t let it go until Luke Weaver shut the door.
Yankees’ Giancarlo Stanton led New York to ALDS Game 3 victory and dropped mic
Add this to Stanton homering off Corbin Burnes in the AL East clincher, then declaring, “We better be. That’s the point,” regarding the Yankees’ “team to beat” status, and you have a slugger on the back nine built for the moment and ready to do whatever he can to nab his personal missing piece.
Stanton came to New York in 2018 to help mentor and protect the Yankees’ up-and-coming potential future MVP after winning the award himself in 2017. He’s no longer a building block for future dominance, but the unimpeachable and impossible-to-replicate talent is still within. Somewhere along the way, he decided that aging out of rising to the occasion wasn’t in his playbook.
The rest of the lineup? They could take a lesson or two from Stanton about staying within themselves and answering the bell.
No need to go above and beyond. You don’t have to steal second base when Seth Lugo falls asleep, though it was extremely funny. Just do the job you’ve done all year. Pretend it’s May on the road, and it’s getaway day, and you’re playing a game for a living — and succeeding at it.
Stanton deserves a clincher for his efforts — and then a few more. But, to get them, his teammates will need to match his zen.
