LOS ANGELES — It was in a previous edition of this Yankees-Dodgers World Series rivalry that Reggie Jackson became synonymous with his favorite month. Giancarlo Stanton is well on his way to becoming New York’s new Mr. October.
Stanton launched a go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth inning of Game 1, a blast relegated to a footnote when Freddie Freeman hit the first walk-off grand slam in Fall Classic history, powering Los Angeles’ 6-3 victory in 10 innings on Friday night.
“You never want that ending,” Stanton said. “We’ve taken blows this postseason, but not at this level of stakes. You’ve got to win four [games] anyway. No one said it’s going to be easy.”
Stanton’s blast off right-hander Jack Flaherty marked his fourth consecutive postseason game with a home run. The drive gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead at the time.
“He did a great job keeping those offspeed [pitches] at the bottom rail,” Stanton said. “It was just something I was able to scoop out.”
Each of Stanton’s last five hits has been a homer, dating back to Game 1 of the American League Championship Series against the Guardians. With the blast, Stanton is the first player in postseason history to have multiple streaks of homering in four or more consecutive games.
“I’m battling away, grinding each at-bat,” Stanton said. “Getting all the information I can, just trying to produce.”
Stanton’s homer came on a 79.4 mph knuckle curve, launched off his bat at 116.6 mph and traveling a Statcast-calculated 412 feet to left field. It was the hardest-hit batted ball in the World Series under Statcast (since 2015).
It was only the third homer recorded by Statcast with at least a 116 mph exit velocity and at least a 35 degree launch angle. The previous two were hit by Aaron Judge (in 2017) and Stanton (in 2023).
“You make a mistake and Giancarlo puts a good swing on the ball, which is what he’s done all postseason and throughout his entire career, really,” Flaherty said. “So you’d like that one back, but you’ve got to go out and get ready for the next one.”
Stanton has 17 postseason home runs, all with the Yankees, including six this year. That ranks fourth in franchise history, behind only Bernie Williams (22), Derek Jeter (20) and Mickey Mantle (18).
Additionally, Stanton joined Corey Seager and Nelson Cruz as the only players to hit six or more homers in multiple postseasons.
Stanton has always hit well at Dodger Stadium, where he attended games growing up and would frequently seek batting-practice souvenirs in the left-field bleachers. He now has 11 homers and 28 RBIs in 26 career games at Chavez Ravine, where he won 2022 All-Star Game MVP honors.
“I’ve had a lot of time to see the flight of the ball over the years,” he said.
