Giancarlo Stanton Takes Responsibility For Fielding 'Mistakes' in Loss to Twins
MINNEAPOLIS — Before the Yankees took on the Twins on Wednesday night at Target Field, New York's manager Aaron Boone commended Giancarlo Stanton for his defense.
The slugger was penciled in to make his first start in the outfield since his stint on the injured list that evening.
"He's got an accurate arm. I think he reads the ball well and runs really good routes," Boone said in the visitor's dugout. "He gets his hands on it. He catches it. He's very precise. He's just kind of very fundamentally sound out there."
Hours later, Stanton's defense played a role in New York's 8-1 loss to the Twins, a game in which left-hander Nestor Cortes gave up four earned runs for the first time in almost a year.
Stanton's adventure in right field began in the fourth. On a high fly ball off the bat of Gio Urshela, with runners on first and second, Stanton tracked it down until he reached the warning track. He stopped his pursuit at the last second, allowing the ball to smack against the base of the wall for an RBI single.
Two innings later, Urshela whacked another fly ball in Stanton's direction. Again, the right fielder didn't look comfortable as he neared the fence, getting turned around as the ball smacked against the wall for a leadoff double. Urshela would come around to score later in the frame.
On the very next pitch, Stanton charged for a shallow blooper down the line. Calling off first baseman Anthony Rizzo, Stanton slid forward, narrowly missing the ball as it touched down in fair territory for a double.
"I was definitely pissed off," Stanton said at his locker after the game. "I haven't had a day like that in a long time, if ever."
Stanton wasn't charged with an error on any of those three plays, nor were they guaranteed outs, but you could tell the slugger thought he could've—and perhaps should've—made those catches.
"I gotta make those plays, put us in a better position to not let the game break away," Stanton said. "It's a continuously evolving game by each play. I've just got to put us in a better position to not let the game get away."
He added that his depth perception was off. Stanton thought he was closer to the wall than he actually was on both of the Urshela hits, leading to "mistakes that can't happen again."
Target Field has a protruding overhang in right, something Boone mentioned that could've contributed to Stanton's struggles. The outfielder was quick to correct his manager, though, saying the dimensions at Target Field were not the issue.
"Wasn't my best night out there. Just got to chalk it up and put in the past."
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