Yankees: Giancarlo Stanton Destroys First Home Run of 2020 Against Max Scherzer

New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton homered in the first inning of Opening Day.

Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton has heard the talk all offseason.

In fact, he’s heard it for well over two years.

Stanton arrived in New York prior to the 2018 season, and immediately had monstrous expectations to live up to. After all, the team already had a homegrown slugger in Aaron Judge. Wasn’t this just stunt casting? He was booed throughout much of that season, chasing sliders in the dirt, before getting repeatedly injured in his redemption season in 2019, over before it began.

We’ve heard the noise about Stanton prior to 2020, too. This is a new man. He’s a DH. He healed up during the extended break. And he’s ready to contribute the way he’s always believed he’s been able.

So far, so good. Stanton socked a high fastball from Max Scherzer deep into the bleachers at Nationals Park, so far it carried beyond where fans even would’ve been, under normal circumstances.

If Giancarlo Stanton destroys a home run in an empty ballpark, does it even make a sound? Yankees lead 2-0.

Stanton’s always been an Opening Day maniac in New York. Prior to Thursday, he’d gone 4-for-8 with two home runs on Opening Day, both coming in his first appearance in a Yankees uniform in ’18.

This furthers the narrative that began anew during Summer Camp. With his calf reportedly healed, Stanton unloaded on this offering from New York Mets lefty Chasen Shreve, fueling the comeback message.

That was a hanging slider, though. This was a prototypical Max Scherzer elevated fastball.

For Stanton to catch up to that on Day 1, with pitchers theoretically well ahead of the hitters developmentally, speaks volumes.

We won’t draw any grand predictions from this prodigious bomb. We don’t know how long anyone’s season will last, let alone Stanton’s. But mercy, what a fresh start.