Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton Homers After Missed Call By Home Plate Umpire

Giancarlo Stanton thought he had ball four. Instead, he homered on the next pitch he saw.

Max Goodman

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NEW YORK — Giancarlo Stanton threw his hands up at home plate and the Yankee Stadium crowd groaned.

Home plate umpire Jeremie Rehak had called a 3-1 cutter from Guardians right-hander Shane Bieber a strike, a pitch that crossed home plate inches below the zone.

In retrospect, Bieber probably wishes Rehak had called that cutter a ball, putting Stanton on first base with two men out. Digging back into the box for a sixth pitch of the at-bat, Stanton took advantage, belting an opposite-field, two-run home run to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead in the first inning of Game 2 of the American League Division Series.

The homer from Stanton left his bat at 105.2 mph, soaring 352 feet the other way. Stanton, his teammates and the entire crowd knew it was gone right away.

With his first-inning blast, Stanton has now homered in 10 of his 20 postseason games with the Yankees. Nine of those long balls have come in his last 12 playoff games, including six in a seven-game stretch during the 2020 postseason.

Stanton is now one of four players in playoff history with eight-plus home runs and 16-plus RBI in any 10-game span, joining Jim Thome, Reggie Jackson and Lou Gehrig, per Katie Sharp of Stathead. 

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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