Yankees: Giancarlo Stanton proving every hater wrong by crushing Astros

The New York Yankees have a folder full of unfinished business against the Houston Astros spanning their entire current era.

One player who’s already proven he can handle Houston, both in 2021 and in previous years? Giancarlo Stanton, who’s glowing molten red at the plate right now.

Lost in the embarrassing defeats that capped the 2018 and 2019 season, Stanton’s actually been quite adept at punishing Houston in recent years, and there’s a good chance Alex Bregman and Jose Altuve don’t get all the fuss about his struggles in pinstripes.

Same goes for Aaron Hicks, who plopped the game-winner into right, for what it’s worth.

The Bombers squandered key opportunities in the fifth, sixth and seventh (first and second no outs for the heart of the order…).

Thanks to their magic two-hole hitter, though, they still entered the eighth inning all tied up. For what felt like the hundredth time in recent weeks, Stanton unloaded on a fastball seconds after DJ LeMahieu had been buzzed up and in to take an early lead.

Yankees star Giancarlo Stanton is on another level right now.

You know the numbers, but they bear repeating.

In the midst of an 11-game hitting streak, Stanton is both pummeling hangers, rocketing high-velocity fastballs, and hitting ’em where they ain’t, as he did in the ninth for a sixth two-out insurance run.

This is perhaps his most impressive stretch as a Yankee, but the Astros are all too familiar with the peak of his abilities. Remember the hard work he did in the home series against the ‘Stros in 2019? He rarely played that regular season, but still batted .385 with four RBI against Houston, then smashed a home run in Game 1 of the ALCS before being lost forever. In 2018, he rocked two homers in six games, slugging .545.

And this year? Well, nobody else in the lineup equalized this game, so Stanton had to do it himself in the fifth.

Hands in and a two-strike shortened-swing laser to left? Truly, who is this guy?!

In his last 11 games, Stanton is hitting .500 (24-for-48), and has saved his very best work for the team that deserved it most.

If you’ve ever had anything negative to say about this remarkable baseball player, we recommend you recant it after he’s worked so hard to save the most essential Yankees series in two years.

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