NEW YORK (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton turned on a high slider from Blake Snell, and the cracking sound in Yankee Stadium was exceptional.
The newest slugger in New York’s lineup watched the drive head about 10 rows into the left-field second deck at 117.9 mph, the hardest-hit ball in the major leagues so far this young season.
Even before the ball landed 458 feet from home plate, Stanton flipped his bat with gusto toward New York’s dugout and headed on a trot around the bases with his first Yankees home run in pinstripes.
Fans cheered, those career-high five strikeouts from the home opener a distant memory, along with the boos.