Stanton savors love in return to Miami
MIAMI — Giancarlo Stanton delighted in his moment. He walked slowly to the batter’s box in the top of the first inning and let the crescendo build. There were 26,275 folks inside Marlins Park, and it didn’t matter to anyone that probably twothirds of them were Yankees fans grateful for his presence, not Marlins fans pining his absence.
They still made a noise he could hear in his heart.
“That was really cool,” Stanton said of the 30-second ovation, which he recognized with a wave and then a sharply-hit single into left field. “It was definitely more than I could have asked for and was one of the greatest moments of my career, that’s for sure.
“It was a lot to take in. I grew up over there, and they are always going to be a huge part for me.”
Before the game, acknowledging the surreal nature of his return to South Florida, Stanton had said, “It feels weird turning right instead of left. This place, and this city, was such a huge part of my life.”
Stanton went 2-for-6 in the Yankees’ 2-1, 12-inning win over his old team Tuesday. Once, it seemed this odd blob of a ballpark that stands where the old Orange Bowl once did was designed specifically for him. Once, the team believed Stanton would be the one making this corner of Little Havana a must-see venue. They not only built him this park, they signed him to the richest deal in baseball history, $325 million.
“We understand what it could have been,” Stanton said, more than a little melancholy. “It didn’t pan out. That’s the way it goes.”
None of that is Stanton’s concern anymore. When the Yankees dealt for him last December, it seemed they were simply doing a most Yankee thing: taking a strength and making it cartoonishly better.
Except a funny thing happened.
That lineup in which Stanton was believed to be a luxury is missing Gary Sanchez, Aaron Judge and now Did Gregorius. Greg Bird missed a month, and has been in a sinkhole most of the year.
Now, suddenly, it’s Giancarlo Stanton’s team.
“I’m glad to be a part of this,” he said. “It’s exactly what I wanted.”
He’s more than a part of it. He has replaced Judge in the two-hole, which means he’s now the hitter pitchers and managers each cast wary glances as games progress, knowing every time he walks to the plate can be a game-changing moment.
“I know it’s a cliché,” he said, “but I’m really just happy to be here.” Not nearly as happy as the Yankees are to have him here. The bonus has become a basis.