On a night when the Yankees battered Justin Verlander and the Astros, most of the talk afterwards revolved around Alex Verdugo’s three hits and Luis Gil’s performance on the mound — with one exception.
Giancarlo Stanton, slowed by age and no longer approaching the MVP-caliber play he showed during much of his time in Miami, again showed why he remains a feared hitter.
His 118.8 mph laser home run to left field off Verlander in the bottom of the fifth on Tuesday was the second-hardest ball hit in the majors this season, trailing only a Shohei Ohtani single last month that was tracked at 119.2 mph.
Speaking about the homer, Aaron Boone called Stanton “weird” and “a unicorn.”
Stanton is still the active home run leader in the majors, with 409 heading into Wednesday’s game against the Astros.
Before Mike Trout got hurt again, it seemed the Angels’ slugger might have a chance at closing in on Stanton’s mark this season, since Trout is second on the list, with 378 home runs.
But a torn meniscus that will require surgery on Trout’s knee will keep him at that number for the foreseeable future.
And Joey Votto, third on the list at 356, is still rehabbing an ankle injury suffered during the spring, shortly after he signed with the Blue Jays.
So it will be a while before anyone catches Stanton, who has seven homers on the season after Tuesday’s blast.
Asked what the mark means to him, Stanton said, “It’s pretty cool. Why wouldn’t it be cool to have something like that? But it makes me feel a little old at the same time.”
The 34-year-old Stanton has looked old at times, especially on the bases, and with a strong outfield unit of Juan Soto, Aaron Judge and Verdugo, with Trent Grisham backing them up, there’s been no need to force Stanton to play defense.
Since that’s the case, there’s nothing for Stanton to do besides focus on his offense.
And the longer he holds onto his home run milestone, the better.
“It’s bound to happen someday, that somebody gets it, but it’s a good thing to try to keep,” Stanton said. “It doesn’t just show how many years you’ve played, but that you’ve been productive. And if I can add to it, hopefully that means I’m still being productive.”
Stanton’s average exit velocity has decreased each of the past three seasons, but remains among the best in the league.
His power numbers are also lessening and he’s walking at a lower rate this year than at any other point in his career.
And once one of the best fastball hitters in the game, Stanton’s numbers have dropped there, as well.
Still, Aaron Boone continues to put him in the middle of the Yankees lineup.
Stanton, prior to the homer, called his season so far “pretty good.”
“It could always be better,” said Stanton, who’s been solid with runners in scoring position, with a .679 slugging percentage, 15th-best in the majors, according to Fangraphs.
“My timing has been pretty decent,” Stanton said. “And with runners on, it’s been good. Everything can improve, but I’m in a good spot.”
