New York Yankee Giancarlo Stanton hit a grand slam that gave NY the win and the Boston Red Sox nightmares.
Saturday was a good night to be a Red Sox fan until the eighth inning, when all hopes and dreams were batted away with a swift pull of Giancarlo Stanton’s bat.
With one swing, Stanton batted away any hopes of a Sox win as a 2-1 New York Yankees deficit turned into a 5-2 lead with Stanton’s grand slam. While Yankees fans wildly cheered at Fenway, the Red Sox announcers were less enthusiastic with the play-by-play.
“Stanton with a grand slam,” the announcer said matter-of-factly as Stanton rounded the bases.
The announcers sat in silence for thirteen seconds until the other chimed in and said, “You almost don’t know what to say.”
Giancarlo Stanton slams rival Red Sox with a grand slam that gives Yankees the win
The game finished 5-3, with the Yankees taking the second win in their three-game series versus their bitter Boston rival. The rivalry has even greater implications in late September, as the two teams are tied in second place in the AL East for a potential Wild Card spot.
According to Dayn Perry at CBS Sports, Stanton hit one of the most impressive stretch-drive home runs of the season with unbelievable stats.
“Stanton turned around that first-pitch fastball from Darwinzon Hernandez and sent it off the bat at 114.1 mph,” wrote Perry. “It wound up traveling 452 feet.”
Perry also wrote that before Stanton’s hit, the Yankees had a 31.8 percent chance of wining the game. However, “after the ball cleared the Green Monster, they had a 90.5 percent chance of winning.”
Despite the shared 88-67 record, the Red Sox are poised to make playoffs over the Yankees by a long shot. According to FanGraphs, the Red Sox have a 94.8 percent chance to make playoffs, while the Yankees have 79.5 chance of making it.
Win or lose on Sunday, Giancarlo Stanton’s heavy-hitting, game-winning grand slam gives the Yankees something to hang their hat on as they battle for an October spot.