Just two days after looking positively wooden while running around the bases, Giancarlo Stanton, who has been much-maligned for his lack of speed, made a difference with his legs in the New York Yankees' 3-2 win over the Kansas City Royals in Game 3 of the American League Division Series on Wednesday night at Kauffman Stadium.
Stanton, who belted the 12th postseason home run of his career and collected an RBI double, also stole a base in the top of the sixth inning. Such occurrences for Stanton have been as rare as solar eclipses, as his most recent theft on the basepaths came in August of 2020.
Stanton admitted that the dugout reactions to his stolen base were "probably better than the homer." And indeed, Stanton's swipe led to some pretty funny reactions from his Yankees teammates.
When asked about the stolen base, a smiling Aaron Judge, no speedster himself on the bases, acknowledged that he liked that moment best from Wednesday's win.
"That [the stolen base] was my favorite part," Judge said. "I liked the homer but showing a little wheels out there too to get in scoring position for [Anthony] Volpe was definitely big time."
Were the Yankees expecting a stole base from Stanton? Third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., who swiped 40 bags this season, certainly wasn't.
"No," A wide-eyed Chisholm said. "Definitely didn't. It was a surprise to all of us but hey, I'm happy he did it."
Even Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who just two days earlier had said that Stanton's lack of speed was "something we've kind of got to live with", let out a chuckle when asked about Stanton's stolen base during his media session.
Stanton's speed may not be a consistent asset for the Yankees, but his power certainly is. The slugger has belted 12 home runs in his first 30 postseason games, the third-most long balls in a player's first 30 career playoff games in MLB history.
But Stanton is not focused on the homers or the stolen base. Heading into Thursday's Game 4, he has his eyes on the prize.
"We need to wrap it [The series] up tomorrow," Stanton said. "No wiggle room. We gotta get it done."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Yankees Had Best Reactions to Giancarlo Stanton's First Stolen Base in Four Years.
