Yankees’ Giancarlo Stanton shows off light tower power as Fenway excellence continues

BOSTON — Giancarlo Stanton provided most of the Yankees’ offense in Tuesday’s 4-0 win over the Red Sox, going 2-for-4 with three RBI. The designated hitter first struck in the second inning, belting a solo homer that dinged off the left field light tower that stands atop The Green Monster. Aaron Boone called the 111.5-mph, 369-foot blast a “G-esque moonshot,” but Stanton wasn’t done there. The slugger then tagged Red Sox starter Connelly Early, a lefty, again in the sixth inning, smoking a 102.6-mph, 378-foot, two-run double off of Fenway Park’s oversized wall. With that performance, Stanton improved his lifetime average at Fenway Park to .316 over 40 games. That sample also includes eight home runs, 27 RBI and a .932 OPS. “It’s always a fun rivalry game, no matter where each team is in the standings, so it’s just a good experience, a good pure baseball place to play,” Stanton said when asked about his success in Boston. “You gotta raise your game in those types of situations.” Stanton, who was also robbed of extra bases by Red Sox center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela in the eighth inning, entered the game in a bit of a funk, going 1-for-21 with a homer in his previous five games. He had also been 0-for-17 overall against lefties. But the 36-year-old went into Tuesday’s game refreshed, as he was given off on Sunday against the Royals before enjoying an actual off day in the Yankees’ schedule on Monday. The Yankees believe that these double off days are a good way of keeping Stanton, who has lingering tennis elbows and a history of lower-body injuries, healthy over the course of a season. “I think there’s probably something to that, to where I think he benefits from that,” Boone said. “So we’ll continue to be mindful of that and pick our spots when it’s smart to have him down.” Stanton said that he “always” wants to be playing, but he also acknowledged that “sometimes, recovery time is good.” It was something the Yankees were proactive with last year when he returned from his elbow injuries, and he never went back on the injured list. If Stanton could keep that going for a full season, it would be a huge boost for the Bombers’ offense. “Go back to 2024 and just the presence he was,” Boone said. “You noticed his presence. He missed the one month in August, but otherwise, he was just that presence in the middle of the order, night in and night out, and you felt it. You knew he was there, especially when you had to navigate [Juan] Soto and [Aaron] Judge. He was there lurking. “So he’s a huge presence for us. I’m glad he’s gotten some big hits here early.”