MLB All-Star Slugger Giancarlo Stanton Impresses in Yankees Debut

The New York Yankees made one of baseball’s biggest acquisitions of the 2017-18 offseason back in December when they traded for Giancarlo Stanton, the reigning National League Most Valuable Player formerly of the Miami Marlins.

Stanton’s first plate appearance as a New York Yankee took place on MLB Opening Day on Mar. 29 in Toronto and it resulted in a 426-foot two-run home run to right field. The home run’s exit velocity was 117.3 miles per hour — the fastest ever recorded at Rogers Centre and of any opposite-field home run, in any ballpark, by any player since exit velocities started being recorded in 2015.

Yankees radio announcer John Sterling remarked, “Giancarlo, non si può stopparlo! (Italian for “Giancarlo, you can’t stop him!”) It is a Stantonian home run…”

🚨 Hear John Sterlings very first Stanton homerun call 🚨 #PinstripePride pic.twitter.com/Jry9qMz7K3

— WFAN Sports Radio (@WFAN660) March 29, 2018

The Yankees would defeat the Blue Jays 6-1, as Stanton also hit an RBI double and another home run — a 434-foot solo shot to right-center field — in his memorable debut with New York.

Placing Stanton’s achievements into historic perspective, he’s only the fourth Yankee since 1950 to have a multi-home run game on Opening Day (first since Joe Pepitone in 1963; joins Roger Maris from 1960 to accomplish two home runs in a Yankee debut), and the third player with 2+ extra-base hits & 3+ RBI in their Yankees debut since RBI became an official stat in 1920, joining Roger Maris (1960) and Todd Zeile (2003).