NEW YORK — An entire stadium held its breath, fearing the worst, as the most powerful man in the MLB playoffs sputtered his way around third base like a broken-down jalopy.
Home plate was Giancarlo Stanton’s destination. A combination of forces — Teoscar Hernández’s rocket arm, Stanton’s molasses legs — ensured he would not reach it.
With his Yankees down three runs in the fourth inning of Game 3 of the World Series, Stanton had, moments before this sad dash, ripped a double to left for the first Yankees hit of the game. Two batters later, with two outs on the board, shortstop Anthony Volpe lofted a hit of his own, a soft line drive over the shortstop’s head.