Giancarlo Stanton hit two home runs in his New York Yankees debut on Opening Day, March 29, 2018, at Rogers Centre in Toronto. He went 3-for-5 with a double and four RBI in a 6-1 win over the Blue Jays, and the first homer left his bat at 117.3 mph.
He needed exactly two pitches to start earning the money.
The Guy Everybody Was Waiting For
Stanton showed up in Toronto as the reigning NL MVP, fresh off a 59-homer season in Miami. The club had pried him loose from the Marlins in December for Starlin Castro and two prospects, and the whole winter turned into a countdown to one question: what happens when you bat him next to Aaron Judge?
It was also Aaron Boone's first game as a manager at any level (the Yankees hired him straight out of the ESPN booth). No pressure, Skip. Just the most-hyped lineup in years and a franchise that hadn't won an opener since 2011.
Two Pitches
First inning. Brett Gardner aboard, J.A. Happ on the mound, Stanton in the box for the first at-bat of his Yankees career that counted.
He took a strike. Then he took Happ's next pitch the other way, a 426-foot line drive over the wall in right-center, at 117.3 mph. According to Statcast, nobody had hit an opposite-field homer harder since MLB started tracking exit velocity in 2015.
Opposite field. Off a lefty. At 117 mph. (Most of us can't throw a ball that hard, let alone hit one that hard the wrong way.)
2-0 Yankees, and the Stanton era was one swing old.
Yeah, great to get that first one out of the way early, and can stop worrying about it. It was a great day.
He Wasn't Done
Happ hung around until the fifth, when Judge drew a two-out walk and chased him at 96 pitches. John Axford came in, and Stanton lined a double that brought Judge all the way around from first. Stanton scored later that inning, and it was 4-0.
Gardner led off the seventh with a homer off Danny Barnes. Toronto eventually scratched out a run against the bullpen, which felt a little rude given the circumstances.
Then Stanton closed the book in the ninth, hitting a Tyler Clippard pitch 434 feet into the party deck in center.
Final line: 3-for-5, two homers, a double, four RBI, three runs scored. I'm not sure what else a guy's supposed to do in his first game with a new team. Maybe steal a base to show off.
The Kid Who Stole the Other Half of the Show
Luis Severino got lost in the Stanton noise, and he really shouldn't have. He threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowed one hit, and struck out seven. MLB.com's research crew found he was the first Yankees Opening Day starter on record to give up just one hit.
Boone got his first win. The Yanks got their first Opening Day W in seven years. Not a bad Thursday.
| Date / Site | Thursday, March 29, 2018, Rogers Centre, Toronto |
| Final Score | Yankees 6, Blue Jays 1 |
| Stanton's Line | 3-for-5, 2 HR, 2B, 4 RBI, 3 R |
| First Yankees HR | 1st inning, two-run, off J.A. Happ: 426 ft, 117.3 mph |
| Second HR | 9th inning, solo, off Tyler Clippard: 434 ft |
| Winning Pitcher | Luis Severino: 5 2/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 7 K |
| Losing Pitcher | J.A. Happ: 4 2/3 IP, 4 H, 3 R (2 ER) |
| Manager | Aaron Boone (first career game and win) |
Then the Bronx Happened
Here's the part everybody remembers almost as well. Five days later, in the home opener against Tampa Bay, Stanton went 0-for-5 with five strikeouts, the first five-K game of his career, and Stadium fans booed him. The Yankees won 11-4 anyway, which tells you how much the fans cared about the scoreboard that afternoon.
That whiplash kind of became the story of his first season. He finished 2018 with 38 homers and 100 RBI in 158 games, hitting .266, for a 2018 club that won 100 games. Good numbers. Not 59-homer numbers, and New York noticed.
I don't think that's fair to him, but Toronto set the bar. When your first swing is the hardest oppo homer anybody had measured up to that point, everything after it looks a little small.
The Trade Goes Through
The Yankees finalize the deal for the reigning NL MVP, sending Starlin Castro, Jose Devers, and Jorge Guzman to Miami.
The Debut
Stanton homers off J.A. Happ in his first at-bat, doubles in the fifth, and homers off Tyler Clippard in the ninth. Yankees win 6-1 in Toronto.
The Home Opener
Stanton strikes out five times against Tampa Bay and hears boos at the Stadium. The Yankees win 11-4.
The First-Year Tally
Stanton finishes with 38 homers and 100 RBI in 158 games for a 100-win team.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many home runs did Giancarlo Stanton hit in his Yankees debut?
Two. On March 29, 2018, in Toronto, Stanton hit a two-run homer in the first inning and a solo homer in the ninth. He went 3-for-5 with a double and four RBI in a 6-1 Yankees win.
Who gave up Giancarlo Stanton's first home run as a Yankee?
J.A. Happ of the Blue Jays. Stanton took a strike, then hit Happ's second pitch 426 feet to right-center at 117.3 mph for a two-run homer in the first inning.
How hard was Stanton's first Yankees home run?
It left the bat at 117.3 mph. At the time, it was the hardest-hit opposite-field home run since MLB began tracking exit velocity in 2015.
Which other Yankee hit two home runs in his team debut?
Roger Maris, on Opening Day 1960 at Fenway Park. He hit two homers and drove in four in a win over Boston.
Two pitches in, one homer in the books. The Bronx took a little longer to warm up.