Giancarlo Stanton sparks Yankees with first regular-season stolen base since 2020

NEW YORK (AP) - Even Giancarlo Stanton joined the early aggressiveness on the bases for the New York Yankees.

Stanton had his first regular-season stolen base since 2020 and fired up his teammates during their 9-7 victory over the Miami Marlins on Saturday night.

With the Yankees holding a one-run lead, J.C. Escarra took a cutter from Calvin Faucher for strike one. Stanton took off and slid with his right foot to beat the throw from catcher Agustín Ramírez.

"If they're going to give it to me, I got to go get it," Stanton said.

Stanton stole his first base since Game 3 of the 2024 ALDS at Kansas City.

It was Stanton's 43rd career regular-season stolen base and first since Aug. 3, 2020. He stole 36 bases in his first eight seasons with the Marlins and had five in 2018 when he appeared in 158 games during his first year with the Yankees.

"That was good," Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger said. "The boys were fired up and that was a huge extra run there obviously. He's just playing really well and it's really good to see."

After advancing to third on a groundout by Escarra, Stanton trotted home standing up on a passed ball by Ramírez during an at-bat to José Caballero to give the Yankees their sixth run.

Stanton had the only steal on a night when the Yankees had 10 walks. The Yankees have an AL-best 12 steals in 15 opportunities through their first eight games after finishing with 134 last season.

"Awesome, awesome," manager Aaron Boone said about the stolen base.

Following his stolen base, Stanton hit a two-strike two-run single in the eighth to give the Yankees an 8-6 lead.

After missing New York's first 70 games last year because of inflammation in the tendons of both elbows, he hit .273 with 24 homers, 66 RBIs and a .944 OPS in 77 games.

This season, he is hitting .393 and is 5-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

"I'm going to take what they give me, understand where I'm at each day and put us in a good opportunity to win," Stanton said.

Stanton had 38 homers with 100 RBIs in his first season with New York, but missed 266 of 708 games over the next five seasons because of a series of strains of right biceps, right knee, left hamstring (twice) and left quadriceps along with right ankle inflammation and left Achilles tendinitis.

Noticeably slimmer in 2024, he limited his lost time to 28 games for a strained left hamstring. Stanton finished with 27 homers and 72 RBIs in 114 games and added seven homers and 16 RBIs in 14 postseason games as the Yankees reached their first World Series since 2009.