Giancarlo Stanton Leads Yanks in Game 1

Giancarlo Stanton’s return is very important for the Yankees. He is in the lineup batting fifth in this game as the designated hitter. He is batting fifth. Not only is Stanton a right-handed hitter, but he also lengthens the Yankee batting order, and his power changes things in a good way for the Yankees. The Yankees won this game 1-0 in extra innings. Stanton’s comeback is at home, probably on purpose, against a weak Los Angeles Angels. Stanton also offers some lineup protection for Aaron Judge, who slumped badly in Boston with nine strikeouts up there. Do you think Stanton’s presence in the Yankees’ batting order will help Judge?

Lineups

The Los Angeles Angels had Zach Neto as the shortstop, batting leadoff. Noah Schanuel was the first baseman, batting second. Mike Trout was the designated hitter, batting third. Taylor Ward was the left fielder, batting fourth. Jorge Soler was the right fielder and batted fifth. Logan O’Hoppe was the catcher and batted sixth. Travis d’Arnaud came in to play catcher in the tenth inning after Scott Kingry pinch ran for O’Hoppe. Jo Adell was the center fielder and batted seventh. Luis Rengifo was the center fielder and batted eighth. Christian Moore was the second baseman and batted ninth. 

For the Yankees, Trent Grisham batted first and was the center fielder. Ben Rice was the first baseman and batted second. Paul Golscchmidt pinch hit for him in the eighth inning, he stated in to play first base. Judge batted third and was the right fielder. Cody Bellinger was the left fielder and batted fourth. Giancarlo Stanton was the designated hitter and batted fifth.  Jasson Dominguez pinch ran for him in the ninth inning. Jazz Chisolm Jr. was the third baseman and batted sixth. Anthony Volpe was the shortstop and batted seventh.  Austin Wells was the catcher and batted eighth. Oswald Peraza pinch ran for him in the tenth inning. JC Escarra came in to play catcher in the eleventh inning. DJ LeMehieau was the second baseman and batted ninth.

Oct 30, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (27) hits a home run during the third inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game five of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Game Reaction: The Return of Giancarlo Stanton

Giancarlo Stanton was back in the lineup for the Yankees after missing seventy games. He had three rehabilitation games at the Yankees’ AA affiliate in Somerset. Rather than go back there, it was rainy there too, he hit baseballs off a complicated pitching machine that simulated the Los Angeles Angels Pitchers. Stanton got his first hit of the season in his first at-bat. It was a 114 mile per hour grounder.

This was another well-pitched game, though it could be that the Angels and the Yankees cannot score. The Yankees made Soriano look like Cy Young. Clarke Schmidt, at one point, had retired seventeen consecutive Angels. This game was Schmidt’s longest outing of the year.

Moore, the Angels’ second baseman, was the eighth overall pick in last year’s MLB Draft. He is from Brooklyn but never visited Yankee Stadium as a youth. Well, he is playing there now. He got his first ever hit in the eighth inning, a triple, it chased Schimdt. Good for him.

News and Notes

The Yankees hope to clean up poor baserunning at home in this series against the Angels. As they were swept by the Boston Red Sox over the weekend, the Yankees made several mistakes. The mistakes included runners getting thrown out at third base in all three games in Boston. Dominguez, Volpe (in extra innings) and Rice were all thrown out at third base. You would think the runners getting thrown out at third base would give Rice some caution, but that was not the case. The baserunning problems were just some of the mistakes the Yankees made in this three-game series. These were the top mental errors the Yankees made last season, so this is a worrying trend for Yankees fans who hope Giancarlo Stanton can spark them.

The first All-Star voting results have been released. Judge is the top vote getter. Goldschmidt is the top vote getter in the American League at first base. There are several Yankees in the top five vote-getters. Gleybar Torres, the former Yankee, is the leading vote getter at second base.

The Yankees stayed in fourth place in the power rankings despite their most recent struggles. Despite being swept by the Boston Red Sox.

It is Hope Week for the Yankees. That is a good idea, and it does not matter how the Yankees are playing.

Scoring Summary

In the eleventh inning, Schanuel doubled, and Moore scored. It was finally 1-0 Los Angeles.

Final Thoughts

Max Fried has been very good this season. Following the Yankees’ losses, he is 7-0. He had another opportunity today, as the Yankees have lost the first two games in Boston. That said, this game was decided by the bullpen. The Yankees’ anemic offense meant the two runs Max Fried gave up looked like twenty because the Yankees did not score in the first five innings.