New York Yankees fans were not pleased with manager Aaron Boone over his explanation of Giancarlo Stanton's embarrassing run at home on Saturday against the Houston Astros.
The New York Yankees have found their winning ways as of late after a rough return from the All-Star break. On Saturday, the Yankees defeated the Houston Astros 3-1, behind solo home runs by Gleyber Torres and Jake Bauers. Not only that, but the pitching staff, led by a returning Nestor Cortes, held the Astros batters to just two hits on the day.
However, there was some bad in the game that caught the ire of Yankees fans. In the bottom of the third inning, D.J. LeMahieu hit a line drive to right field. Giancarlo Stanton, who was standing on second, rounded third base to go home. The thing was, Stanton wasn't fast enough, and catcher Martin Maldonado was waiting for him with the baseball.
After the game, manager Aaron Boone was asked about the play in question and if Stanton is healthy. Boone said that Stanton is healthy, and he reasoned that Stanton was out by a mile because he "got a great round on third and got a little careful over there." Not just that, but Boone said that if Stanton were going "in the right direction," he has more speed than he showed in this play.
Aaron Boone says Giancarlo Stanton is healthy after embarrassing play
Boone is not exactly unanimously loved by the Yankees fanbase. His postgame press conferences are not exactly much-listen for some fans, considering Boone doesn't call out players and has a positive spin on even the worst of losses. Look no further than when the team struck out 18 times against the Baltimore Orioles on July 30, and Boone said that the at-bats were still good.
One fan pointed out Stanton's sprint speed on Baseball Savant. In 2018, Stanton rated in the 70th percentile. That has decreased over the years, and he is now in the fourth percentile in sprint speed this season.
While Boone stresses Stanton's healthy, let's not forget that the slugger missed time earlier in the year with a hamstring strain back in April.
The Yankees will look to take the four-game series over the Astros with a win on Sunday. It will be interesting to see where Stanton plays, especially with Aaron Judge splitting time between right field and designated hitter.
