Giancarlo Stanton supplied every ounce of offense the New York Yankees needed in a 5-1 victory over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night. The veteran slugger drove in all five runs, highlighted by a towering 451-foot home run.
New York trailed briefly after Robert Hassell III scored in the third inning on a hustling baserunning play, but Stanton flipped the script in the next frame. With the bases loaded, he drilled a double off the wall in left-center to clear the bases and put the Yankees ahead. In the sixth, Stanton struck again, blasting his longest homer of the season to give New York breathing room. He finished 2-for-3 before being lifted for defense.
Starter Luis Gil battled through five innings, working around traffic on the bases while holding Washington to one run on five hits. Though his command wavered, he managed five strikeouts and got key help from Cody Bellinger, who cut down a runner at the plate in the fifth.
The bullpen took it from there. Recently activated Fernando Cruz escaped a jam with help from Tim Hill, while Camilo Doval and David Bednar combined for three scoreless innings to close it out.
Despite being outhit 8-6 and stranding eight runners, the Yankees capitalized when it counted thanks to Stanton’s bat.
Box Score | AL Wild Card Standings
The Yankees (72-60) go for the three-game sweep of the Nationals (53-79) on Wednesday afternoon with Max Fried set to face Washington’s Cade Cavalli. The first pitch is slated for 1:05 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].