Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton Lead Yankees to Clutch Win, Bombers’ Faltering Offense Shines

It seems the rumors of the Bronx Bombers’ hitting staff’s demise were just a little exaggerated. In their home opener, it looked like nothing was going right for the New York Yankees. Their hitters put on a feeble show and completely silenced the 47,000+ fans in the Yankee Stadium. However, led by timely performances by Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, the Yankees narrowly won their second game against the Toronto Blue Jays by 9-8.

The major storyline heading into this game was the apparent weakness of the Bronx hitters. More importantly, it was the slow start of Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. Despite a 6-2 record, the Yankees were predominantly carried by their youth and Juan Soto. The issue centered more on Stanton, who was slowly losing favor with the fans. However, all those worries vanished by the first inning.

Aaron Judge struck a massive two-run homer to take the Yankees ahead of the Blue Jays. Almost immediately, Stanton followed that up with a home run of his own. The former MVP hit Kevin Gausman’s chest-high ball with a 100mph exit-velocity rocket. However, even this great hit was a cause of momentary worry as umpires investigated whether a fan had obstructed the fielder. While that hit by itself would’ve been great, Stanton wasn’t done yet.

The star followed that up with a single in the 3rd inning and another single line drive in 5th. Overall, Stanton went 3-for-4 in a game that was turning out to be a do-or-die contest for him. The game became even more special as Stanton crossed the 500-hit mark for the Yankees. These early game fireworks were enough for the Yankees to create a 9-run lead that proved too much for the Blue Jays (though they got frighteningly close by the end).

Judge, on the other hand, went 2-for-3 with 2 walks. That was another stellar performance for the captain, who is slowly getting back to his best. However, the hero of the hour was Stanton and Aaron Boone’s comments also indicated the same.

Yankees’ skipper praises Giancarlo Stanton but a small issue persists

“We all need a night like that once in a while. He’s so mentally tough and disciplined to what he’s trying to do that I don’t worry about things snowballing on him. He’s just got to get comfortable and get settled in the box and, again, I feel like he’s been in the fight this whole time,” Aaron Boone said as reported by The Athletic. However, while Stanton’s performance was noteworthy, there are still questions being raised about his batting stance.

The slugger’s lack of lower-half usage has consistently puzzled scouts. At the same time, there’s a growing worry that his tendency to be far out over the plate might be affecting his vision. But then again, if Stanton manages to maintain the performance he had today, those worries might die down, eventually. Perhaps all the New York Yankees need right now is a peak Stanton, to bring on the fireworks.

Read more: Giancarlo Stanton Past His Prime? Star Slugger’s Regular Season Disappointment Continues