New York Yankees: The franchise’s 4 greatest hitting performances
By Kevin Henry
Curtis Granderson spent four seasons in a Yankees uniform, including two seasons where he would earn an All-Star Game bid. One of those seasons was 2012, and Granderson started that season off with a bang in the finale of a three-game home series in mid-April against the Minnesota Twins.
Looking at Curtis Granderson’s greatest game with the New York Yankees
In a Thursday night game, Granderson would go 5-for-5 with three home runs as the Yankees held on for a 7-6 win over the Twins. The performance would give 14 total bases on the night, making him one of just three Yankees in franchise history to accomplish the feat (along with Joe DiMaggio and Lou Gehrig).
Granderson, playing center field and batting second in the New York lineup behind Derek Jeter, hit home runs in the first and second innings off Minnesota starter Anthony Swarzak, then made it three home runs in three at-bats when he drilled a solo shot off Jeff Gray in the fourth. He would add singles in the sixth and eighth innings.
The power surge would be a sign of things to come for Granderson, who finished the 2012 campaign with a career-high 43 home runs. That came on the heels of a 2011 season where he logged 41 homers, marking the only two times in his career when he hit more than 30 in a season.