In their long and illustrious postseason history, the New York Yankees had two players that have homered in four consecutive playoff games. Giancarlo Stanton has made that three.
The New York Yankees have a long and impressive history when it comes to the playoffs. As a franchise, they have 27 World Series titles, winning 40 American League pennants. They have seemingly had a Golden Era every generation, a run of success that would be envied by any other franchise.
Understandably, that run of success has led to some impressive postseason performances. We remember Reggie Jackson blasting three homers in Game Six of the 1977 World Series. How Derek Jeter became Mr. November. Babe Ruth and his called shot. Don Larsen being perfect for one afternoon.
On Tuesday, Giancarlo Stanton joined a list of memorable Yankees’ postseason performances. His second inning home run gave him a homer in four consecutive games. With that blast, he joined Jackson (1977-78) and Lou Gehrig (1928-1932) as the only players in team history to do so.
There is no questioning Stanton’s power when healthy. He has homered once in every 13.9 at bats, the fifth best mark in MLB history, and the most prolific rate of all active players. Stanton has led the league in homers twice, and has 312 homers in his major league career.
The problem is getting him on the diamond. Over the past two seasons, Stanton has played in just 41 games. His power has suffered a bit due to his injury woes – in his 166 plate appearances, he has just seven homers and ten doubles.
But Stanton is back and healthy once again. His powerful bat changes the complexion of the Yankees lineup, adding a power element that can only be matched by the equally oft-injured Aaron Judge. In just four playoff games this year, Stanton is showing exactly how much he is missed when he is sidelined.
It did not take long for Giancarlo Stanton to set New York Yankees postseason history. With the way he is swinging the bat, and how the ball has been flying in the divisional series, it would not be a surprise if he took that record for himself.