MLB
Giancarlo Stanton matches Babe Ruth mark
The “Sultan of the Bat” is the player with the fewest at-bats per home run in MLB postseason history.
The New York Yankees are one win away from advancing to the American League Championship Series after winning Game 3 of the Division Series against the Kansas City Royals thanks to the heroic performance of Giancarlo Stanton. The Bronx Bombers’ designated hitter shone with an RBI double and a solo home run to secure the win.
It was his home run that put him on a select list that includes only one other player: Herman ‘Babe’ Ruth. Stanton is the player who needs the second-fewest at-bats to hit a home run in MLB playoff history. The requirement to be part of the club is to have at least 100 at-bats.
Ruth, also known as “The Sultan of the Bat,” connected on 15 home runs in 129 at-bats, giving him an average of one home run every 8.6 at-bats. Stanton, after tonight’s game, has hit 12 home runs in 109 at-bats, giving him an average of 9.1 times in the batter’s box to hit a home run.
Giancarlo Stanton’s postseason numbers
Stanton is a 34-year-old veteran with just 30 postseason games under his belt, all since he arrived in New York in 2018. He has decent numbers, though. He's batting .286 after getting 29 hits in 109 at-bats. He's also driven in 27 runs and has a .964 OPS.
The Yankees lead their ALDS best-of-five series against Kansas City 2-1 ahead of Friday’s fourth game at Kauffman Stadium.
The winners will face the team that emerges from the series between the Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers - which is evenly poised with Detroit 2-1 ahead. The Mets were the first through to the Championship Series with the rest of the lineup to be decided over the next couple of days.