KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A few more playoff games like this and no one will be able to complain about Giancarlo Stanton’s contract — or his baserunning.
Stanton was out for more early batting practice Thursday after hitting the go-ahead homer in Game 3.
And while Stanton didn’t go deep again in the ALDS Game 4 clincher, a 3-1 victory over Kansas City at Kauffman Stadium, the DH delivered again.
With a one-run lead, Stanton led off the top of the second with a 110-mph double down the right field line. He was stranded at second when Jazz Chisholm Jr. whiffed, Anthony Volpe lined out to right and Alex Verdugo grounded to first.
But Stanton was able to add to the Yankees’ lead in the sixth.
He followed Aaron Judge’s leadoff double — as the Yankees’ best hitter showed his first spark of the postseason at the plate — with a 116-mph single up the middle through a drawn-in infield after Judge had moved to third on an Austin Wells groundout.
It gave the Yankees a three-run lead with Gerrit Cole on the mound and the Yankees punched their ticket to the ALCS.
With runs at a premium, Stanton has had RBIs in three straight games.
Stanton was removed from the game for pinch-runner Duke Ellis after being intentionally walked with two out in the eighth. Chisholm grounded out to end the inning and Stanton’s night was over.
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The Yankees bullpen took care of the final two innings and they didn’t need Stanton’s bat the rest of the way.
Stanton has become accustomed to the criticism that comes with his injuries and inconsistent play.
The pressure is nothing new, nor a surprise.
“That’s what I expected coming here,’’ Stanton said of his trade from the Marlins to The Bronx. “The ups and downs of the year are all test drives for now. We have to keep pushing.”
Not many players embody those ups and downs more than Stanton, who had his most productive regular season since 2021 and has continued his consistent production in the playoffs during his tenure with the Yankees.
“We’re here to win,’’ Stanton said. “No one wants to be on the losing side of this. We have an opportunity to keep it rolling. We have to take care of business.”
And Stanton and Co. know the only way to do that is to get back to the World Series for the first time since the Yankees won it in 2009.
They’ll likely need more heroics from Stanton to get there.
His October success includes having entered Thursday trailing only Babe Ruth when it comes to home-run frequency among players with at least 100 playoff at-bats, with 12 homers in 109 at-bats for a homer every 9.08 ABs. Ruth’s rate was 8.60.
More importantly, the Yankees are 24-4 when Stanton homers this season — including the playoffs.
