Gregorius has a huge game, but Stanton — not so much
A big bopper powered the Yankees to victory in their most anticipated home opener in years — Didi Gregorius, not Giancarlo Stanton or Aaron Judge.
When the Yankees agreed to acquire Stanton from Miami on Dec. 9, Gregorius playfully tweeted: “Hey Skip am i still batting 4th???”
He sure is. Gregorius hit two three-run homers and had a career-high eight RBIs, helping New York overcome five strikeouts by Stanton in his first game in home pinstripes. In Aaron Boone’s chilly first home opener as manager, the Yankees broke a seventh-inning tie and routed Tampa Bay 11-4 on Tuesday.
“That’s what a cleanup hitter does: You clean up the garbage in front of you,” Stanton said.
Gregorius had four hits and walked. He set a major-league record for RBIs by a player in a home opener.
“I think everyone around the game understands what a good player he is and what a big-time money player he’s become,” Boone said.
Stanton was booed in the eighth inning after his first five-strikeout game. “I was awful today,” he said. “You put up a performance like that, you should get some boos.”
New York also acquired outfielder Trayce Thompson, brother of the Warriors’ Klay Thompson, off waivers from the Dodgers and made room by transferring righthander Ben Heller to the 60-day DL.