Inside The Pinstripes

Giancarlo Stanton is Only Hitting Homers

The Yankees star’s last six hits have all been longballs, dating back to June 14.

Gary Phillips

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Giancarlo Stanton hasn’t had many hits lately, but he’s made the most of the ones he’s come by.

The Yankees slugger has just six hits since June 14, a stretch that covers 14 games for Stanton. Every one of those hits, however, has been a home run, with dingers coming on June 17, 23, 24, 26, 27 and 29. Stanton has homered in five of his last six games.

Stanton’s most recent hit/homer was a three-run shot against Oakland’s Cole Irvin on Wednesday. The third-inning blast, Stanton’s 19th this season, proved to be the decisive blow in a 5-3 New York win and gave the Yankees a record-setting 57 home runs for the month of June.

"It's an interesting time right now,” Stanton said after the game, full-aware of his odd streak. “I’m not getting too many hits, but when I am, they're homers."

Stanton is now hitting .244 with an .856 OPS following a 1-for-3 performance on Wednesday. The 32-year-old was hitting a season-high .309 as recently as May 21. While his average has noticeably dropped, Stanton has remained productive, tallying 12 RBI since his first of the six homers on June 17.

Five of the homers have come in Yankees wins.

“He’s a guy that can put the whole team on his back and carry us for a couple of games,” Aaron Judge, who leads the majors with 29 home runs, said Wednesday. “When he’s in a stretch like this, where he’s hitting the ball hard, hitting it out oppo, you know he’s in a good spot. That was a big, big punch for us right there.”

Judge likes what he’s seeing, but Stanton knows he can contribute more than just longballs. While he’s prone to striking out – he’s done so 16 times since June 14 – he’s never been a truly all-or-nothing hitter.

That hasn’t been the case over this tiny sample, but Stanton feels that’s bound to change soon.

"My at-bats are getting a little bit better,” he said. “I haven't had the best couple weeks, but I've been okay in big spots, I guess. So that'll let you catch up a little."

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Gary Phillips
GARY PHILLIPS

A graduate of Seton Hall, Gary Phillips has written and/or edited for The Athletic, The New York Times, Sporting News, USA Today Sports’ Jets Wire, Bleacher Report and Yankees Magazine, among others. He can be reached at garyhphillips@outlook.com.

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