Stanton has a history of shattering Statcast with his enormous home runs.
Giancarlo Stanton, the slugger for the New York Yankees, is back to smashing baseballs. Against the Houston Astros, he hit the hardest ball of the 2024 MLB season.
In the third inning, Astros rookie starter Spencer Arrighetti threw a 1-2 curveball that Stanton grabbed every stitch of, sending it hurtling toward left field with the velocity of a rocket. It was more important that this ball stay fair than it was that it get out.
The game was now 5-1 as Stanton’s single home run kept the ball in fair area and he began to trot around the bases. Stanton faced Aaron Judge back-to-back, and one at-bat earlier, Judge hit a single to right center. and Juan Soto put one out in the first inning to take an early lead as well.
Stanton’s rocket was the fastest hit ball in the league this season, with an exit velocity of 119.9 mph, according to Statcast’s calculations.
This comes after Tuesday night, when Stanton crushed a 447-foot home run off Justin Verlander in the 10-3 triumph, hitting the ball at 118.8 mph off his bat.
Stanton has a history of hitting baseballs and smashing the radar gun. Actually, since the Statcast era began in 2015, this single shot is only the third hardest-hit home run he has ever had.
When Stanton hit a home run against the Texas Rangers in 2018, he set a record for the highest exit velocity on a home shot with 121.7 mph. In July 2020, he also recorded a home run against the Washington Nationals that clocked in at 121.3 mph, ranking second.
The Yankees’ first priority is for Stanton to stay healthy for the entire 2024 season, as pitchers are afraid of his powerful swing that may blow a game wide.
Fans have been dissatisfied with his lack of hustle around the bases, and he has struggled with injuries in recent seasons.
Stanton’s biggest asset, though, is what he’s trying to keep available so he can accomplish what he did on Wednesday night.
