Inside The Pinstripes

Stanton Makes Statcast History, Pummels Two Home Runs Against Indians

New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton made Statcast history, hitting two home runs against the Cleveland Indians and breaking out of his slump

Max Goodman

Giancarlo Stanton routinely tests the limits of Statcast, clobbering baseballs as hard as anybody in Major League Baseball.

What he did on Friday in Cleveland, however, had never been done before in the Statcast era.

Stanton pummeled a pair of home runs at Progressive Field, both registering exit velocities north of 115 mph. It's the first time any player has had multiple 115-plus mph home runs in the same game tracked by Statcast (since 2015).

The first blast came in the top of the third against Indians starter Logan Allen. Turning on an inside fastball, the slugger unleashed a 118-mph missile over the wall in left field. It soared 429 feet, caroming hard off the bleachers. 

Two frames later, Stanton pounced on 0-2 heater left out over the plate from right-hander Trevor Stephan, sending another blistering line drive into the seats. This one sizzled to right-center field at 115.7 mph, landing 418 feet away from home plate. 

That's good for an average of 423.5 feet and 116.9 mph per home run. 

Stanton now leads the Yankees with five long balls on the season, but these two certainly stand out.

"It's weird. It's just different. I've never seen anything like it," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after the game. "You don't see balls hit like that. And to hit two of them like he did in the game—I don't know what that number ended up being on it—but it was two really impressive swings. When he's locked in when he hits them like that, it's just different than anyone I've ever seen."

Entering play on Friday, Stanton was hitting .158 (9-for-57) over 15 games this season. He had just one extra base hit in his last nine appearances, posting a measly .094 average in that span.

After getting an off day in the series opener on Thursday, however, Stanton came to the ballpark ready to do some damage and break out of his early-season slump. He spoke after the win about the minor tweaks he continues to make to his swing and his approach, constantly striving to improve at the plate. 

Stanton wasn't the only Yankee digging the long ball on Friday evening. Both center fielder Aaron Hicks and second baseman Rougned Odor went yard in the Yankees' three-run third inning, tying the game at three runs apiece. 

New York went on to win, 5-3, turning a victory on Thursday into a modest two-game winning streak. 

Typically a four-homer game from the Bronx Bombers—a perennial threat to lead the league in home runs—wouldn't be too much of a surprise. Through the first 17 games of the regular season, however, New York rarely left the ballpark. With the league's worst slugging percentage (.338), the Yankees had clubbed just 18 home runs. That's more than only six other big-league clubs as of Friday morning.

The power surge in Cleveland is also the first time in 2021 that New York's lineup has hit more than two home runs in a single game.

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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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