Giancarlo Stanton Had a Comically Short Pinch-Hitting Appearance for the Yankees

Karl Rasmussen | Sep 21, 2025

New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton wasn't in the lineup Sunday, but was used as a pinch-hitter / Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees didn't have Giancarlo Stanton in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Baltimore Orioles, but late in a tie game, the team looked to the veteran slugger for some offense.

The Orioles were prepared for that, however. After Stanton entered the game as a pinch hitter, taking the place of Ryan McMahon, Baltimore opted to intentionally walk him to eliminate the home run threat.

Well, with Stanton being an absolutely abysmal baserunner, the decision to give him first base for free resulted in the end of his night. Aaron Boone quickly moved to pinch run for Stanton, who is a liability on the base paths, bringing in Anthony Volpe to take over at first base.

As quickly as Stanton's night started, it ended.

Giancarlo Stanton just speedran a day at the office 😭

Brought in as a pinch-hitter, intentionally walked, and then removed for a pinch-runner pic.twitter.com/ljKEPMMwKw

— MLB (@MLB) September 21, 2025

That's one way to make a contribution. Unfortunately, the Yankees weren't able to capitalize on Stanton's intentional walk, unable to get a run on the board to break the 1–1 deadlock.

Stanton's lack of mobility at this stage in his career means he's best served being utilized at DH. But with Aaron Judge occupying the role on Sunday, Stanton was out of the lineup and on the bench.

In 70 games this year, Stanton has a .916 OPS with 21 home runs and 56 RBIs.

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