Thursday marked MLB’s Opening Day 2018 for baseball fans, and New York Yankees fans got to see their newest slugger Giancarlo Stanton hit the long ball early on. In just his first appearance at the plate, Stanton crushed the pitch, giving fans in New York something to be excited about, if they weren’t already. His powerful blast also showed why he could be an early contender for American League MVP if he can keep smashing the ball like this.
According to North Jersey website’s report , the New York Yankees took on the Toronto Blue Jays for their first game of the new MLB season. Since it was a road game, New York batted at the start of this game. With Brett Gardner reaching first base due to an error, the next batter, Aaron Judge, struck out. However, his newest teammate Giancarlo Stanton smashed a two-run shot to right field which gave his team the early 2-0 lead at Rogers Center. It wasn’t just Stanton’s first at-bat, but his first swing in the regular season, making for a historic moment.
Not long after, the news traveled on social media and a video clip of the home run made it onto the YES Network ‘s Twitter page (below).
Stanton was formerly a member of the Miami Marlins and led the National League in home runs last season. Despite his value to the team, he became a highly-coveted trade asset, as new CEO Derek Jeter looked to completely rebuild the Marlins’ roster. Ultimately, Jeter helped orchestrate a blockbuster trade with his former team to send them the additional help, as if they needed it. With that deal, it gave the Yankees the AL and NL home run leaders from last season, as Aaron Judge led the American League as a rookie.
Giancarlo Stanton HOMERS in his first at-bat of the season! pic.twitter.com/d2uaBtMcby
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) March 29, 2018
The superstar slugger was listed amongst the top AL MVP candidates on future odds before the season started, and for good reason. New York Yankees fans seem to have plenty to be optimistic about just based on that first at-bat, but most fans already knew what a player of Giancarlo Stanton’s caliber would bring to the plate. Opposing pitchers are now on notice, although they probably already were too.
Update: As reported by ESPN , Stanton hit a second home run in the game in the ninth inning. The New York Yankees defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 6-1 behind Stanton’s big game.