Former Yankees fan favorite hypes up Giancarlo Stanton to haters after 3-homer day

In 1,535 total regular season games, Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton never had a day quite like Wednesday night at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Knowing Stanton, he likely spent 10 PM to midnight cursing the fates for delivering him Marco Gonzales in an exhibition game instead of mid-April, when it would've counted.

Still, after a second-half downturn in 2022 and a 2023 season that didn't resemble his previous portfolio in any way, Yankees fans entered spring looking for even a glimmer of hope from Stanton's slimmed-down frame and reworked stance. They received more than a glimmer on Wednesday, capping a month that's paved the path to a comeback story fairly well.

Stanton's meaningful metrics this spring have all looked like a hitter who's once again figured out how to keep the ball off the ground and take full advantage of his otherworldly exit velocity by making higher-quality contact and doing so more often. And, occasionally, when you do things right, it manifests in three of the longest home runs mankind is capable of. If nothing else, Stanton still knows how to absolutely light up a soft-tossing lefty, which remains a valuable skill in today's game.

Blown away by the trio of titanic efforts (actually, this response came after Homer No. 2, but still), former Yankees outfielder/broadcast partner Cameron Maybin made it known he wants the disrespect to cease.

Yankees star Giancarlo Stanton got respect for three-homer game

Again, this is the only three-homer game of Stanton's entire career, and somehow, calling it a "three-homer game" is still minimizing the accomplishment. Surely, the first two titanic blasts should've qualified as some new level beyond "home run." The smash over the batter's eye in center, combined with the grand slam to the Grand Tetons, might just have opened up a wormhole to allow Stanton to turn back the clock.

Ironically enough, Maybin was the man who replaced Stanton in the lineup for Game 2 of the 2019 ALCS, representing the exact moment in time the "Next Man Up" Yankees' depth got too thin to function and contend.

Stanton is no longer a focal point of the Yankees' offense to a similar degree, but Wednesday's exhibition showcase was certainly a reminder that, even as he battles regression, he still possesses a level of physical tools that very few baseball players do. He may not be able to unlock the toolbox with regularity or consistency anymore, but don't call him dormant just yet.