Yankees Slugger Is Locked In Like He’s Only Been Once Before
As the Boston Red Sox begin an all-important, four-game series with the New York Yankees on Thursday, it’s not Aaron Judge they should fear the most.
While Judge is still rounding back into form after an IL stint (right elbow flexor strain), 35-year-old slugger Giancarlo Stanton has pulverized opposing pitchers over the past month-plus.
Most recently, Stanton blasted three home runs and drove in six in a two-game set against the Tampa Bay Rays at Steinbrenner Field. He only started in the first of those two games, by the way.
Is 2024 Playoff Stanton re-emerging? If so, it would be bad news for Lucas Giolito (starting Thursday in the Bronx) and the rest of Boston’s staff.
In last season’s ALDS, Stanton hit .375. He followed that up with four homers and seven RBIs over five games in the ALCS, snagging the series MVP award as a result.
Maybe Stanton is giving himself a little runway this time around, deciding to heat up as the playoffs approach. Last August, Stanton hit just .224 and was even more frigid in September (.194).
Stanton’s August numbers so far in 2025 are video game worthy: .432 BA, seven home runs and 17 RBIs in 14 games.
Stanton’s hot stretch dates back to July. Per Stathead’s Katie Sharp, Stanton has torched opposing pitchers in his last 30 games with a .362/ .429/ .830 slash line, rivaling a stretch he pulled off eight years ago.
For all the attention that Judge receives (and deserves), Stanton can be an equally-as-potent weapon at the plate for New York, and when he’s in a zone like the current one, pitching around him becomes a consideration.
Is Stanton going to impact this pivotal weekend series in enormous fashion, or will Red Sox pitchers put an end to his explosive stretch? The former MVP is a career .270 hitter against Boston with 15 home runs and 46 RBIs in 78 games.