NEW YORK — Between injuries and offensive struggles, little has gone Giancarlo Stanton’s way this season. That wasn’t the case in the Yankees’ 6-3 win over the Cubs on Saturday, though.
Stanton carried the Yankees’ offense while enjoying his first multi-dinger game since May 12 of last year with two very different home runs.
The first, a 118.1-mph solo shot in the opening frame, traveled 447 feet to the Audi Club in left field. The luxury seats, which are behind glass, hang above the second deck.
Cubs left fielder Ian Happ took a few steps in reaction to the moonshot, but he quickly paused to watch the ball sail over his head.
While Stanton’s initial blast had an expected batting average of 1.000, his second home run was the ultimate porch job.
After review, Stanton came away with a two-run homer by lofting a pitch 322 feet to right field. He doinked the ball off the very bottom of the right-field foul pole. Hit at 91.3 mph, the expected batting average was just .050.
The homer was the softest Stanton has ever recorded. The bomb, meanwhile, was the 10th-hardest of his career.
While Stanton did the heavy lifting, Josh Donaldson also hit a solo homer in the second inning. He now has 10 home runs this season.
Harrison Bader added a two-run double in the third inning.
The Yankees did most of their damage against Cubs starter Drew Smyly, who allowed four earned runs over four innings. Reliever Michael Rucker gave up two more in relief.
Gerrit Cole, meanwhile, mostly cruised in his last start of the first half. While a two-run homer from former Yankee Mike Tauchman stained the ace’s line at the very end, Cole totaled 7 1/3 innings, five hits, three earned runs, one walk and five strikeouts over 103 pitches.
The Cubs’ other run off Cole came on a Nico Hoerner groundout in the third.
With 19 starts in the books, Cole ends his first half with a 2.85 ERA. That mark gives him a chance to start Tuesday’s All-Star Game in Seattle.
Cole has said he would love to start the Midsummer Classic for the American League.
Before the All-Star break begins, the Yankees have one more game to play against the Cubs.
The Bombers will look to take the series with Domingo Germán on the mound. Kyle Hendricks will start for Chicago.
