Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton ruins pristine Jack Flaherty start with titanic home run

Game 1 of the World Series appeared to be unfolding like a familiar sight to Yankees fans watching and stewing across the country. Runners on in the first against slumping Dodgers right-hander Jack Flaherty? Jazz Chisholm made the final out, and the Yanks turtled from there. Aaron Judge with three chances to make a statement? Three strikeouts.

Heading into the top of the sixth inning, Flaherty appeared to be cruising to the finish line, especially after retiring Judge for the third time on a 94 MPH fastball that nicked the outside corner. All he had to do in order to get to his own personal endgame was pitch around Giancarlo Stanton who has been, in a word, scorching. In two words, he's been ridiculously scorching.

And, on a 1-2 count to Stanton, Flaherty proved that he learned absolutely nothing from the Cleveland Guardians' pitching staff.

With a slumping Jazz Chisholm behind him, Flaherty attempted to bury one of his patented breaking balls low and in following a fastball above Stanton's head. That ... was a mistake. It did not quite get low enough, to say the least.

Then, it simply refused to land.

Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton torches another pitcher in Dodgers' Jack Flaherty in World Series Game 1

Flaherty? You just made the list.

After throwing ball one to Chisholm, Flaherty found himself yanked by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. Prior to liftoff, the game's entire narrative would've centered on Flaherty finding himself after a catastrophic NLCS Game 5 start at Citi Field. Now? He's another guy whose line got wrecked at the tail end of an excellent start by one foolish and mis-executed pitch.

Stanton, a California native who spent his childhood in the Dodger Stadium bleachers, has left the ballpark in his past, transcending the pavilion with a mammoth drive back in 2013. He loves this atmosphere. He loves this ballpark. He clearly loves the spotlight.

Why would you give him anything to even consider hitting, no matter how dominant your first five innings were? By the end of this series, they're going to stop pitching to Stanton. Hopefully, he dismantles them a few more times before they figure it out.