This is what the hardest-hit homer ever measured by @statcast looks like (121.7 mph) ?pic.twitter.com/4bgti3RiXT
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) August 10, 2018
Giancarlo Stanton may not have broken the sound barrier but he certainly broke Statcast with his bomb for the New York Yankees on Thursday night.
New York Yankees outfielder Giancarlo Stanton hit a solo home run Thursday night. But it wasn’t a typical home run…this one had an exit velocity that was clocked at 121.7 miles per hour.
Wow.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Stanton drilled Texas Rangers righty Ariel Jurado’s pitch into the left-field bleachers to give New York a 6-3 lead and that ball left the Stadium in a hurry.
Stanton’s home run is now officially the hardest hit ball in Statcast history. It breaks the record previously set by his teammate Gary Sanchez, who hit a ball 121.1 miles per hour for a loud out back in June. Stanton also tied this mark with a base hit off of Red Sox lefty David Price last weekend.
Long story short, this is the Giancarlo Stanton the New York Yankees thought they acquired last winter. He was brought to New York to hit tape-measure home runs at ridiculous speeds, not to mention form a 1-2 power punch with Aaron Judge. Judge is currently on the disabled list with a wrist injury, so New York needs Stanton’s power now more than ever.
His home run Thursday gave him 28 for the season as the Yankees went on to beat the Rangers 7-4 for their fourth straight victory. In the game, Stanton was 1-for-4, marking the third straight game he’s gone yard. He is batting .289 in the month of August and has hit .307 since June 1.
He isn’t quite on the pace he was last year when he slugged 59 home runs with 132 RBI and garnered NL MVP honors, but his 3.1 WAR with New York is still respectable. Currently, per ESPN, Stanton is on pace for 40 homers with 105 RBI.
New York has three games remaining against the Rangers this weekend, so count on Giancarlo Stanton to continue working his magic.
