Yankees: 3 Giancarlo Stanton playoff redemption moments we’ve already seen in 2020

1. Stanton Slams the Stable, Game 1 ALDS

Giancarlo Stanton put Game 1 out of reach for the Rays, as the Yankees exhaled.

Be honest: Even after what a healthy Giancarlo Stanton has shown us over the past several years, did you think he was ready to contribute a big hit with the bases loaded in a 5-3 game on Monday night?

You were mentally calculating Aroldis Chapman’s chances with a two-run lead, weren’t you?

But when Stanton lifted a “sacrifice fly” to dead center, most of us were plenty satisfied with his ability to sit on a slider and lift it for the insurance — until, of course, the ball cut through the marine layer and landed well beyond Kevin Kiermaier’s outstretched glove for the granny.

Turns out those Stanton splits at Petco Park might’ve meant something, huh?

No, Stanton didn’t “earn his pinstripes” Monday night, because that is not a real thing. Even those who believe in the mythology won’t imbue it upon him until he’s got a thick ring on his finger, sticky from a law-breaking dose of champagne.

Until that home run, though, Stanton’s postseason pivot points consisted of increased patience and a few examples of him taking the first step, setting his teammates up for the ultimate glory. Remember him bat-flipping a walk against the Twins last year, or icing a Wild Card victory against the A’s, but only with a thick lead? Hopefully, those previous justifications for the “clutch-ness” we hoped were hiding somewhere can now take a backseat.

We’ve been waiting for 2009 A-Rod to emerge, especially after the man himself took a shot at Stanton as an “easy out” in the Wild Card round. Hopefully, Monday presented the first inarguable data point in that chase.

Yankees: Yes, John Smoltz really does hate the NYY

Former Atlanta Braves pitcher and Hall of Famer John Smoltz quite literally hates the New York Yankees based on his comments while broadcasting games.