Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees Slugger's Impact Proven Through Staggering Stat

The New York Yankees are a different team entirely when Giancarlo Stanton suits up.

Grant Young

Jun 22, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (27) gestures after hitting a double against the Atlanta Braves in the fourth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 22, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (27) gestures after hitting a double against the Atlanta Braves in the fourth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports / Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
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New York Yankees DH Giancarlo Stanton was in the team's starting lineup against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday. 

While Stanton went 0-for-5 in the game, the Yankees still secured a 4-3 win in extra innings. 

This is the norm when Stanton suits up. 

Before Sunday’s game, MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch posted on X, “The Yankees are 49-24 when Giancarlo Stanton plays this season (17-22 without him).”

This means that the Yankees are now 50-24 in 2024 when the 34-year-old appears in a game. 

Stanton has been the Yankees’ third-best hitter this year. Despite missing about a month of action due to a strained left hamstring, Stanton is third on the team in home runs (18) while also having a .241 batting average and a .772 OPS. 

His presence in New York’s starting lineup adds crucial depth, which the Yankees have been lacking this year. He also provides an additional power threat and helps keep AL MVP frontrunner Aaron Judge from getting walked every at-bat. 

Then again, Stanton hitting two lineup spots behind Judge didn’t stop the Yankees’ captain from getting walked three times on Sunday; becoming the first Yankee to accrue three intentional passes in a game since Bernie Williams on Sept. 26, 1999, per The New York Post. 

The Yankees’ brutal 17-22 record without Stanton this season largely came in the wake of his aforementioned hamstring injury, which sent him to the IL on June 23. 

This injury was of particular concern, considering Stanton missed 43 games in 2023 with a similar ailment. Not to mention that his Yankees’ tenure has been notoriously injury-plagued. 

But with Stanton’s hamstring now healed, the hope is that No. 27 will help the 27-time World Series Champions continue their run toward another trophy.

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Grant Young

GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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