Giancarlo Stanton did it again on Sunday.
The Yankees slugger rocked a 485-foot home run at Yankee Stadium, leaving manager Aaron Boone nearly speechless.
‘Yeah, G is weird. Every time he comes in after one of those, I just tell him, ”You’re weird. You’re different,”’ Boone said.
Stanton smashed a titanic home run to center field, Aaron Judge also went deep and Jhony Brito won his brilliant major league debut as New York beat the San Francisco Giants 6-0 on Sunday.
Kyle Higashioka also homered off Ross Stripling, who served up all three long balls in his first start for San Francisco, and the Yankees took two of three in the initial series of the season.
Brito (1-0) yielded two hits – one a bunt single – over five impressive innings after needing 27 pitches to get through the first. He struck out six and walked one, showcasing a polished changeup to put away batters.
Giancarlo Stanton smashed a 485-foot home run Sunday at Yankee Stadium vs. the Giants
Yankees pitcher Jhony Brito allowed just two hits and zero runs in his MLB debut
‘I think he’s going to be one of those frontline starters for the Yankees years to come,’ Giants first baseman J.D. Davis said. ‘Deadly fastball-changeup combo.’
With projected starters Carlos Rodón, Luis Severino and Frankie Montas sidelined by injuries, the 25-year-old right-hander from the Dominican Republic won a spot in New York’s rotation with a strong spring that included 5 1/3 perfect innings against Toronto his last time out.
‘I thought he was fantastic,’ Higashioka said. ‘We need guys to step up, and he definitely rose to the occasion.’
Brito went a combined 11-4 with a 2.96 ERA at Double-A and Triple-A last season.
‘Very at ease out there,’ Boone said. ‘Just a really good performance and an important performance for us.’
Stripling (0-1) escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first, but Judge lined his second home run of the season to left field in the third.
Anthony Rizzo followed with a sharp single and Stanton launched a 485-foot drive to nearly straightaway center field that soared way over the tinted restaurant windows above Monument Park. The ball even cleared the camera perch above that and landed on a pedestrian walkway in front of a bar.
Stanton lingered a bit to admire the 118-mph drive and then tossed his bat aside before rounding the bases. It was his second-longest home run since Statcast began tracking in 2015, behind a 504-foot shot at Coors Field in August 2016, and the third-longest at Yankee Stadium during that time, behind two homers by Judge in 2017 that surpassed 490 feet.
‘That’s cool that it’s up there. I don’t worry about that too much. It just put us in a good spot to win,’ Stanton said. ‘As long as it goes over the fence, that’s cool with me.’
Stanton also homered Saturday but then grounded into a game-ending double play with the bases loaded in a 7-5 loss.
Anthony Rizzo notched a hit and an RBI against the Giants in the 6-0 win
Kyle Higashioka also homered off Ross Stripling for his first home run of the new season
Aaron Judge, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Oswaldo Cabrera are seen in the outfield Sunday
Higashioka connected leading off the fourth against Stripling, who gave up four runs in five innings. The right-hander won 10 games with a 3.01 ERA for Toronto last season before signing a $25 million, two-year contract with the Giants.
New York added two runs in the seventh without a hit, thanks to three walks and three wild pitches by 6-foot-11 reliever Sean Hjelle. Rizzo drove in rookie Anthony Volpe with a sacrifice fly.
Ron Marinaccio put down a San Francisco threat in the sixth and struck out the side in the seventh. Colten Brewer worked two hitless innings in his Yankees debut to finish the three-hitter.
It’s the first time the Yankees have thrown two shutouts within the first three games of a season.
New York improved to 29-2, including the playoffs, when Judge and Stanton homer in the same game.
‘We’ve got to keep doing it,’ Stanton said.
ANGELS 6, ATHLETICS 0
Not until Angels rookie Logan O’Hoppe had completed his first big league home-run trot and returned to the dugout did he catch his breath and fully realize what had just happened.
He put on a straw hat with the Golden State Warriors logo and got swarmed with love, handshakes and hugs from his teammates.
‘I think putting that hat on and running through the dugout definitely kind of gave me that moment to have and get excited about it,’ he said. ‘When I took it off, it was back to it. I did have a couple seconds to take it in.’
O’Hoppe’s three-run drive in the fourth broke up a scoreless game, Mike Trout had a two-run shot the next inning and Shohei Ohtani connected one pitch later as the Los Angeles Angels beat the Oakland Athletics 6-0 on Sunday.
With two outs and in his 22nd at-bat, O’Hoppe crushed a 1-1 fastball from Ken Waldichuk (0-1) over the wall in left-center, a 391-foot-shot with a 101.5 mph exit velocity. The catcher could be seen smiling and sporting that straw hat courtesy of staffer Tim Buss while celebrating in the dugout afterward with Ohtani.
‘Obviously all the emotions that come with it, it was a pretty surreal moment, and happy it got us on the board,’ he said. ‘… I knew he wasn’t going to catch it but I wasn’t sure if it was going to get out. I actually didn’t even see the ball clear. I just saw when he stopped, I heard the dugout behind me so I’m like, ‘All right, I guess it’s gone.”
The Angels’ Logan O’Hoppe is congratulated by Shohei Ohtani after hitting a home run
RED SOX 9, ORIOLES 5
The Red Sox know scoring nine runs in every game is satisfying – though not sustainable.
‘We’re probably not going to average nine runs a game all year long,’ Kiké Hernández said after collecting two of the team’s 14 hits in a 9-5 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday. ‘But I do believe that’s what we’re capable of.’
Coming off a last-place finish in 2022 and predicted to finish at the bottom of the AL East again this season, the Red Sox opened by beating Baltimore two out of three – scoring nine runs in each game. They are the third team in baseball history to score at least nine in three straight games to start a season, joining Cincinnati’s 1976 Big Red Machine and the ’78 Milwaukee Brewers known as ‘Bambi’s Bombers.’
One day after amassing four hits, including a walk-off homer, Adam Duvall had three more hits – two doubles and a two-run single to break a fifth-inning tie. The free agent outfielder collected his sixth extra-base hit of the season, becoming the first player in franchise history with six in his first three games with the team.
‘We all knew that he was going to love Fenway Park, he’s going to love the Green Monster being that close,’ Hernández said. ‘He drives in runs; that’s what he does. And when he hits the ball he hits it very hard. So so far, that’s been great.’
Tanner Houck (1-0) lasted five innings – the longest outing for a Red Sox starter this season — giving up three runs, five hits and a walk while striking out five. Hernández hit a solo homer, and Rafael Devers, Masataka Yoshida and Alex Verdugo each had two of Boston’s 14 hits.
The Red Sox’s Adam Duvall hits a two-run single against the Orioles during Sunday’s 9-5 win
NATIONALS 4, BRAVES 1
MacKenzie Gore kept waiting for this day to arrive. So, too, did the Washington Nationals – and their fans.
Gore arrived as a key part of the Juan Soto trade in August, while he was injured. But the 24-year-old lefty’s debut for his new club showed why Washington wanted him.
Gore struck out six and limited the big-swinging Braves to one run and three hits across 5 1/3 innings Sunday, helping Washington beat Atlanta 4-1 on Sunday.
‘It’s been a long time. … I’ve been looking forward to it,’ said Gore, who said his parents, sister, brother-in-law and other relatives, along with his high school coach, were at Nationals Park. ‘I’ve been here for a little bit and it was fun to finally pitch.’
When manager Dave Martinez took him out, many in the announced crowd of 21,440 saluted Gore with a standing ovation.
‘Yeah, that was cool,’ Gore said, while the team’s clubhouse manager reached into his locker to drop off a ball from the game encased in a clear box. ‘That usually means you pitched all right.’
Nationals pitcher MacKenzie Gore struck out six and limited the Braves to one run
RANGERS 2, PHILLIES 1
Marcus Semien drove in the go-ahead run with an RBI single in the fifth inning. Josh Jung homered and Texas completed a season-opening series sweep of defending NL champion Philadelphia.
Martin Perez (1-0) allowed one run and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings to win his season debut. Will Smith pitched a perfect ninth inning to earn his first save of the season as the Rangers got off to their first 3–0 start since 2011 – when they won their second straight AL pennant.
Bailey Falter gave up both runs by the Rangers on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings as the Phillies dropped to 0-3 for the first time since losing their first four games in 2016.
Texas Rangers’ Marcus Semien, right, fist-bumps first base coach Corey Ragsdale after hitting a single in the bottom of the first inning
METS 5, MARLINS 1
Kodai Senga struck out eight in his major league debut, wearing a glove with an image of a ghost and a pitchfork in reference to his ‘ghost forkball.’
The 30-year-old right-hander allowed one run, three hits and three walks in 5 1/3 innings. His eight strikeouts tied for the fourth-most by a Japanese pitcher in an MLB debut.
Tommy Pham had three hits and three RBIs, finishing a triple shy of the cycle as the Mets won for the third time in the four-game opening series. Trevor Rogers (0-1) gave up four runs, four hits, two walks and two hit batters in 4 1/3 innings.
New York Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga struck out eight in his major league debut
RAYS 5, TIGERS 1
Tampa Bay’s Jeffrey Springs (1-0) was pulled after six hitless innings, Riley Greene got Detroit’s first hit with an infield single off Colin Poche in the seventh and the Rays completed an opening three-game sweep.
Springs struck out a career-high 12 and matched his high of six innings. Outscored 21-3 in the series, Detroit had just one runner against Springs: Nick Maton drew a two-out walk in the second.
Randy Arozarena had a fourth-inning solo homer off Joey Wentz (0-1), and Jose Siri drove in two with a single against Jason Foley during a three-run sixth.
Tampa Bay Rays’ Randy Arozarena hugs Jose Siri (22) after Arozarena hit a solo home run
REDS 3, PIRATES 1
Graham Ashcraft (0-1) allowed one run and four hits in seven innings, giving up Brian Reynolds’ homer.
Jason Vosler and TJ Friedl hit solo home runs for the Reds. Alexis Díaz pitched the ninth for his first save.
Vince Velasquez (0-1), making his Pirates debut after signing in December as a free agent, lasted 4 2/3 innings, giving up three runs and five hits.
Cincinnati Reds’ Jake Fraley (27) hits a double against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the fifth inning
TWINS 7, ROYALS 4
Joey Gallo homered twice to back Joe Ryan (1-0), who gave up one run and three hits in six innings as Minnesota swept its opening series for the first time since 2017, also against Kansas City.
Gallo hit a solo homer in the sixth off Amir Garrett and a three-run drive in the seventh against Dylan Coleman for a 6-1 lead and his 16th multihomer game, his first since last June 9 for the Yankees at Minnesota.
Brad Keller (0-1) allowed two runs and five hits in 4 2/3 innings. Edward Olivares homered in the second ending a 19-inning scoreless streak for the Royals, their longest starting a season.
The Minnesota Twins’ Joey Gallo celebrates after hitting a three-run home run
CARDINALS 9, BLUE JAYS 4
Nolan Gorman hit a pair of two-run homers in his second career multihomer game, including a drive in a three-homer first that included long balls from Brendan Donovan and Alec Burleson off Chris Bassitt (0-1). Donovan also had two doubles as the Cardinals banged out 16 hits.
Bassitt, making his Blue Jays debut after signing a three-year, $63 million deal, gave up three homers in his first 14 pitches and ended up allowing nine runs and 10 hits over 3 1/3 innings for a 24.30 ERA.
Jordan Montgomery (1-0) gave up three runs and six hits over five innings.
The Cardinals’ Nolan Gorman hits a two-run home run during the third inning vs. the Blue Jays
BREWERS 9, CUBS 5
Jesse Winker had two hits and three RBIs, including a key two-run single in a five-run sixth inning.
Christian Yelich, Garrett Mitchell and Brice Turang also had two hits apiece as part of a 13-hit attack.
Eric Lauer (1-0) pitched 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball, settling down after a shaky start.
Jameson Taillon (0-1) was charged with three runs and seven hits in four innings in his Chicago debut. Patrick Wisdom hit two solo homers for Chicago.
Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Joey Wiemer get high-fives after scoring on a single
WHITE SOX 6, ASTROS 3
Luis Robert Jr. and Yoán Moncada homered, and Mike Clevinger (1-0) allowed three hits in five shutout innings.
Robert hit a solo home run in the fifth and made a spectacular sliding catch on the left-center warning track in the ninth to rob Kyle Tucker of extra bases. Moncada hit a two-run homer in the ninth as Chicago gained a four-game split of the opening series.
Luis Garcia (0-1) allowed three runs and seven hits in five-plus innings. The Astros were 3 for 14 with runners in scoring position and stranded 12 runners.
Chicago White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr. makes a running catch on a fly ball
GUARDIANS 6, MARINERS 5, 10 INNINGS
José Ramírez scored on a bases-loaded error by catcher Cal Raleigh in the 10th of the major leagues’ first extra-inning game this season.
Cleveland’s Tim Herrin, a 26-year-old left-hander, struck out all four batters he faced in his major league debut, the first pitcher to accomplish that feat since the mound was moved to its current distance in 1893, according to the Elias Sport Bureau.
Former Mariner Mike Zunino hit a three-run homer and had three hits as Cleveland came from behind three times and won three of four from the Mariners.
Enyel De Los Santos (1-0) won, Penn Murfee (0-1) lost and Trevor Stephan earned his first save.
Cleveland’s Myles Straw reacts as teammate Jose Ramirez scores following a throwing error
DIAMONDBACKS 2, DODGERS 1
Jake McCarthy drove in the tiebreaking run with a bunt single in the ninth inning to overcome Noah Syndergaard’s solid first start for Los Angeles. Syndergaard gave up one run and four hits in six innings, striking out six and walking none.
Corbin Carroll stole three bases and Andrew Chafin (1-0) pitched two-third of an inning for the win.
Brusdar Graterol (0-1) couldn’t come up with the bunt that broke a 1-1 tie.
Scott McGough, a 33-year-old right-hander who on Friday made his first big league appearance since 2015, got the final two outs for his first save.
The D-Backs’ Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is congratulated by Geraldo Perdomo after scoring on a bunt single in the ninth inning
PADRES 3, ROCKIES 1
Xander Bogaerts hit a two-run homer, Trent Grisham hit a solo drive and Seth Lugo (1-0) allowed one run and four hits over seven strong innings in his first start for his new team.
The Padres set a four-game series attendance record at Petco Park (174,915), which opened in 2004, with four consecutive sellouts to open the season.
Josh Hader earned his first save, tossing a scoreless ninth inning.
Austin Gomber (0-1) gave up four runs and three hits in six innings.
The Padres’ Xander Bogaerts watches his two-run home run during the third inning