Stanton booed after platinum sombrero in Yankee Stadium debut
This wasn't the welcome to the Bronx moment Giancarlo Stanton likely envisioned.
Stanton's first home game as a member of the New York Yankees is one he'll want to soon forget, as the reigning National League MVP struck out five times - aka a platinum sombrero - against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Rays starter Chris Archer got Stanton three times: swinging at a slider in the opening frame, looking at a fastball in the third, and another swinging strikeout in the fifth. Four of Stanton's five strikeouts came with runners on base.
It's the first time Stanton has struck out five times in a game, eclipsing his former high of four. He's recorded 16 four-K games in the major leagues, the last of which came July 1, 2016.
After Austin Pruitt set him down swinging for his fourth K of the day, Stanton heard some boos from the sparse Yankee Stadium crowd as he returned to the dugout, according to Erik Boland of Newsday. Those boos got louder when Sergio Romo got him for a fifth time in the eighth inning.
More boos for Giancarlo Stanton. This time Michael Kay addresses the Yankees fans booing. pic.twitter.com/8ivtGl327A
— Aldo Soto (@AldoSoto21) April 3, 2018
"You put up a performance like that, you should get some boos," Stanton conceded following the game, according to ESPN's Coley Harvey.
Stanton is the eighth Yankee hitter since 1908 to strike out five times in a game, and the first to go 0-for-5 with five K's since Andy Phillips in 2005.
| Date | Player | Opp. | AB | K | Rslt. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6/25/1934 | Johnny Broaca | White Sox | 5 | 5 | NYY W |
| 6/17/1968 | Stan Bahnsen | Angels | 5 | 5 | NYY L |
| 8/21/1991 | Bernie Williams | Royals | 5 | 5 | NYY L |
| 5/2/2005 | Andy Phillips | Devil Rays | 5 | 5 | NYY W |
| 7/7/2007 | Melky Cabrera | Angels | 6 | 5 | NYY L |
| 6/5/2010 | Mark Teixeira | Blue Jays | 6 | 5 | NYY L |
| 9/29/2013 | David Adams | Astros | 6 | 5 | NYY W |
| 4/3/2018 | Giancarlo Stanton | Rays | 5 | 5 | NYY W |
(Courtesy: Baseball-Reference)
Stanton entered Tuesday's home opener hitting .286/.444/.857 with two homers and a league-high four walks on the young season. He struck out four times combined during the Yankees' opening series against Toronto.
Despite Stanton's strikeouts, the Yankees defeated Tampa Bay 11-4 behind shortstop Didi Gregorius' two-homer, eight-RBI performance.