EVERYTHING’S NINE & DANDY
ANAHEIM, Calif. — This is only the start. A nine-game winning streak for the Yankees and a sweep of the Angels at Angel Stadium for the first time since 2003.
That’s the word from Big Man Giancarlo Stanton after a 2-1 “Sunday Night Baseball” victory for the Yankees over the Angels.
Stanton came to the Yankees to win, slug, and play in big series, getting the type of national exposure like a Sunday night game and now a four-game series in Houston against the world champs.
Ever so slowly Stanton is showing signs. He walked his first at-bat and then worked the count to 3-2 against lefty Tyler Skaggs before lining a double to left in the fourth. The next batter, Gary Sanchez, unloaded a 447-foot home run to put the Yankees up, 2-0.
“We’re here and we got more to do,’’ Stanton said after CC Sabathia gave the Yankees seven terrific innings. “We’re not as good as we can be still and we’re playing pretty well, as good as we want. We can all click even more.
“I can probably count on my hand how many times I’ve been on ‘Sunday Night Baseball’ so take this into Houston another big series. The start wasn’t ideal, but this is what we can do. We can go on runs like these and do what we need to do.
“Just got to have good at-bats, the rest will come. It’s coming slower than I wanted to but get on base and score some runs and everything will start clicking.’’
During this winning streak Stanton is batting .303 with 10 runs scored. He’s coming around just in time to face the Astros. This is a different Yankee team than the one that lost in seven games in the ALCS.
The Yankees added muscle to a muscular lineup in Stanton, who had the best view of Sanchez 447foot bomb.
“I like being on second base for shots like that,’’ he said with a smile.
“I thought [Stanton] had one of his more complete games as far as being on time with every pitch, a re- ally good day for him,’’ noted Aaron Boone, who celebrated this win with an In-N-Out Burger doubledouble from the Yankees postgame spread.
Alex Rodriguez knows stardom and struggles. In his role as broadcaster he is a pro on what it is to transition to a new deal. He knows pinstripes, too.
Mark him down as an expert as far as the transition Stanton is making from Miami MVP to the New York spotlight. A-Rod walked in Stanton’s spikes and offered much insight into the changes Stanton has made, changes like moving from right field to left and to DH. Also, changing leagues to learning new pitching staffs and figuring out how to fit into the Yankees way.
A-Rod went through a similar superstar transition in 2004 going from the Rangers as 2003 MVP to the Yankees, small-market big fish to the biggest pond. Like Stanton, he was 28 when he came to the Yankees.
“I think Stanton has done a fantastic job of doing something that is a lot more difficult to do than most people give credit for, it is hard to move over to left field and DH,’’ Rodriguez told The Post.
“It was a big concession for him, there are a lot of changes but the value of playing for the Yankees, the value of being a cog [in the Yankees offensive machine] was worth it.’’
When A-Rod came to the Yankees he moved from shortstop to third base because a guy named Derek Jeter was at short.
“Stanton’s change is much more drastic than mine,’’ Rodriguez said. “Going to DH, playing left field, all in a new league. DH is difficult because in the National League he is playing right field, now all of a sudden you are here as a DH and you are just so stagnant. You are not in the field, that takes awhile to get used to and not at the age of 38 but 28.’’
Stanton was that cog Sunday night in the Yankees winning machine.