Giancarlo Stanton hears boos while striking out 5 times in Yankee Stadium debut
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Well, this didn’t go as planned.
Giancarlo Stanton made his much-anticipated Yankee Stadium debut on Tuesday, a day after snow postponed the scheduled opener.
The moment most definitely was not worth the wait for Stanton and fans who came out to see him. The reining National League MVP and MLB’s marquee offseason trade chip struck out five times against the Tampa Bay Rays in dreary conditions. In some circles, this feat is known as the platinum sombrero.
It’s a feat that got Stanton booed by the home crowd.
Stanton hears his first boos as a Yankee after striking out for the fourth time today.
— Erik Boland (@eboland11) April 3, 2018
Sooo … Not exactly a resounding home debut for the new Yankees slugger.
Thankfully for the home team, Didi Gregorius caught fire with eight RBI to lead the Yankees to an 11-4 win.
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Stanton got off to a smoking start in New York’s season opener against the Toronto Blue Jays last Thursday, going 3-for-5 with two home runs and four RBI. Since then, he’s cooled off considerably, going 1-for-14 at the plate with eight strikeouts.
But Tuesday’s O-fer against Tampa Bay Rays pitchers Chris Archer, Austin Pruitt and Sergio Romo was definitely his worst showing in pinstripes. In fact, The New York Times reports that a Yankee has not had a day this bad since 2005.
Last Yankee with 8 RBIs was A-Rod in 2005.
Last Yankee to go 0 for 5 with 5 strikeouts was Andy Phillips, also in 2005.
Last game played in worse conditions here? Not sure. Maybe Game 2 of the 2009 ALCS vs the Angels.— Tyler Kepner (@TylerKepner) April 3, 2018
According to Elias, no MLB player has had a home debut this underwhelming in the live-ball era. That dates back to 1920.
According to @EliasSports, Giancarlo Stanton is the first player in the Live-Ball era (since 1920) to strike out 5 times in his home opener for a team. pic.twitter.com/WZ6YjcJYVY
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 4, 2018
The good news for Stanton is that he finds himself in good company. Bo Jackson also struck out five times in his 1987 Yankee Stadium debut with the Kansas City Royals.
So there’s hope for Stanton yet in New York. Maybe — just maybe — he can convince the home crowd to stop booing him.
MLB video from Yahoo Sports
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