Giancarlo Stanton is off to a terrible start with the New York Yankees

Jay Asser 23:45 09/04/2018
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  • Giancarlo Stanton has struck out 20 times through 10 games.

    Giancarlo Stanton’s start to his tenure in pinstripes has gone as poorly as could have been imagined.

    The New York Yankees’ new star slugger has been booed twice already through his first 10 games with the team.

    With two runners on base and the Yankees down 8-7 in the bottom of the 12th inning to the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday, Stanton struck out for the fifth time to record his second platinum sombrero (five-strikeout games) of the season.

    As he walked off the field, the 28-year-old star, who was traded from the Miami Marlins in a mega-deal in the offseason, left to smattering of boos from the New York faithful to cap a first homestand to forget.

    “They’re not going to cheer for that,” Stanton said afterward. “So what do you expect?”

    Yankees fans had been expecting something more than what Stanton has so far delivered.

    He’s just 7-of-42 with three home runs and seven runs batted in, while being fanned 20 times.

    The strikeouts have particularly been a concern, with Stanton on pace to whiff 324 times for the season. The all-time record for a hitter is 223, set by Mark Reynolds in 2009.

    “Things aren’t going well,” Stanton said. “You’ve just got to look at it as a bad week. The season’s much longer than a week. A couple good games and I can turn it around and help us win.”

    Stanton’s underwhelming performance has contributed to a mediocre start for the Yankees, who sit third in the American League East with a 5-5 record.

    However, with a three-game series against rivals Boston beginning Tuesday, Stanton can quickly turn around his popularity in New York.

    “We’re going to look back on this in August and laugh about it,” fellow Yankees slugger Aaron Judge said. “It’s just all about us and making adjustments like I know he will. He’s done it his whole career. Stanton’s a great hitter.”

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