Juan Soto, arguably the game’s best hitter, marveled at Giancarlo Stanton following the Yankees’ 9-4 win over the Astros on Wednesday.
“With [Stanton], how hard he hits the ball is amazing,” Soto said. “You don’t see guys hitting the ball 120 [mph] every night.”
Unless it’s Stanton.
For a second straight night, Stanton — slowed by age and no longer approaching the MVP-caliber play he showed during much of his time in Miami — showed why he remains a feared hitter.
His 118.8 mph laser home run off Justin Verlander in Tuesday’s victory against Houston in The Bronx was the second-hardest ball hit in the majors this season, trailing only a Shohei Ohtani single last month that was tracked at 119.2 mph.
On Wednesday, Stanton outdid himself with a 119.9 mph bullet homer to left against struggling Houston right-hander Spencer Arrighetti.
Speaking about Tuesday’s homer, Aaron Boone called Stanton “weird” and “a unicorn.” He repeated the “weird” description Wednesday, almost at a loss for words.
Stanton’s homer was one of three Yankees homers on the night, to go along with one from Soto and another from Aaron Judge.
Asked which was the most impressive, Boone thought a bit and responded, “If you hit one 120, you win.”
Wednesday’s shot, Stanton’s eighth of the year, was the third-hardest hit in the Statcast era. Not surprisingly, he has the other two.
And like most of the rest of the Yankees, he has feasted on the Astros this year, with three homers in five games.
He also has six home runs in his last 11 games versus Houston.
“It’s impressive,” Judge said of Stanton’s recent outburst. “He’s staying through the baseball well and using the whole field. That’s when you know he’s locked in. It’s been fun to watch him do his thing this year, especially trying to bounce back from last year.”
Last year, of course, was ugly, with Stanton hitting just .191 with an unsightly OPS of .695, as he struggled again to stay healthy.
Stanton’s OPS is now a more respectable .758, which has allowed Boone to keep him in the middle of the lineup.
And Stanton is also still the active home run leader in the majors, with 410.
Before Mike Trout got hurt again, it seemed the Angels’ slugger might have a chance at closing in on Stanton’s mark this season, since Trout is second on the list, with 378. But a torn meniscus that will require surgery on Trout’s knee will keep him at that number for the foreseeable future.
Joey Votto, third on the list at 356, is still rehabbing an ankle injury suffered during the spring, shortly after he signed with the Blue Jays.
So it will be a while before anyone catches Stanton.
Asked what the mark means to him, Stanton said, “It’s pretty cool. Why wouldn’t it be cool to have something like that? But it makes me feel a little old at the same time.”
And the longer he holds onto his home run milestone, the better.
“It’s bound to happen someday, that somebody gets it, but it’s a good thing to try to keep,” Stanton said. “It doesn’t just show how many years you’ve played, but that you’ve been productive. And if I can add to it, hopefully that means I’m still being productive.”
Stanton’s average exit velocity has decreased each of the past three seasons, but remains among the best in the league.
His power numbers are also lessening and he’s walking at a lower rate this year than at any other point in his career. And once one of the best fastball hitters in the game, Stanton’s numbers have dropped there, as well.
But for the last two nights, you wouldn’t know it.
