With a go-ahead dwelling run within the tenth inning of Wednesday night time’s win in opposition to the Rays, Giancarlo Stanton has continued his very spectacular season basically, but additionally a really spectacular season in his spots as a pinch-hitter. Earlier than a strikeout in Friday night time’s loss to the Crimson Sox, Stanton had been hitting .571/.667/1.571 with two dwelling runs and 6 RBI in his 9 plate appearances as a pinch-hitter.
Including to the remarkability of that is that Stanton wasn’t at all times nice as a pinch-hitter earlier in his profession. Even together with this run, his profession OPS as a PH is simply .636, and the 2 dwelling runs this 12 months are the one ones for his profession.
As we noticed along with his Ok on Friday night time, it was at all times going to be unreasonable for him to maintain up the OPS over 2.000, however he’s nonetheless on tempo to have one of many extra outstanding pinch-hitting seasons in Yankees historical past. Alongside these strains, I made a decision to have a look again at who he can be chasing in that individual class.
A minimum of in current reminiscence, Raúl Ibañez had one of many extra memorable pinch-hitting second for the Yankees. He got here in as a PH in his two-homer game in Game 3 of the 2012 ALDS, considerably shockingly coming into for Alex Rodriguez (addled by an injured hip) and taking All-Star nearer Jim Johnson deep to tie it up within the ninth earlier than strolling it off within the twelfth. The Yankees rallied after which beat the Orioles to win that sport and finally the collection.
What you would possibly neglect, particularly as a result of his total numbers for the 12 months weren’t fairly nearly as good as his postseason heroics counsel, was that he truly got here up with the products as a pinch-hitter rather a lot in 2012. In slightly below 30 plate appearances as a PH that 12 months, Ibañez hit .320/.379/.640. It’s also possible to argue that his postseason heroics truly began in a late-season game against the A’s because the Yankees fought for the AL East title. After the Yankees had fallen behind 9-5 within the thirteenth inning, Ibañez hit a two-run homer within the backside of the inning to tie issues again up.
You most likely bear in mind Hideki Matsui’s 2009 for his MVP-winning run within the World Collection, though that largely got here as a DH. Nonetheless, he was additionally fairly deadly as a pinch-hitter that 12 months too. “Godzilla” hit .381/.500/.619 in 26 probabilities as a PH that season. In 4 of these video games, he added over or simply barely beneath 0.100 Win Chance Added, which signifies that 4 video games the place he elevated their probabilities of profitable by round 10 % simply on his personal as a pinch-hitter. Weirdly although, the best of these WPAs got here in a game the place he simply doubled to succeed in because the tying run within the eighth inning, and he finally got here round to attain in a Yankees further innings win.
Again on the subject of the 2009 Fall Traditional although, the Yankees have been unable to begin Matsui in the course of the three video games in Philadelphia because of the Nationwide League’s pre-universal DH guidelines. Fortunately, his pinch-hit excellence that 12 months gave supervisor Joe Girardi all the arrogance on the planet that he might come up massive off the bench. He did simply that in the course of the 8-5 win in Sport 3, pinch-hitting for Joba Chamberlain within the eighth and delivering an insurance coverage run with a solo shot off Brett Myers.
In doing analysis for this text although, I’ve found that there’s one, considerably surprising, identify who’s arguably the GOAT of Yankees’ pinch-hitters. As a fan in his 30s, I largely solely know of Bob Cerv through his Chris Bauer a.ok.a. Frank Sobotka-played character within the HBO film 61*, as Cerv shared an residence with Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle in actual life that 12 months. Whereas I can have a look at his Baseball Reference web page and see a wonderfully good profession with an All-Star Sport look, I missed his pinch-hitting exploits.
Should you set a minimal of 20 plate appearances as a Yankee pinch-hitter in a season after which type one of the best by OPS, then Cerv comes out on prime. In that 1961 season as his roommates have been making historical past, Cerv hit .400/.520/.850 in these spots, with an all-time finest 1.370 OPS in 25 plate appearances. Nonetheless, he additionally makes appearances on the listing at No. 24 (1955, .995 OPS), No. 25 (1954, .986), and No. 28 (1960, .984).
