Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton smashed a home run at an astonishing speed of 119.9 mph on Wednesday night against the Houston Astros, marking it as the hardest-hit ball in the majors this season.
During the third inning of New York’s 9-4 win, Stanton hit a 1-2 curveball from rookie pitcher Spencer Arrighetti into the second deck in left field at Yankee Stadium, just inside the foul pole.
This impressive feat came one night after Stanton hit a 118.8 mph homer off Justin Verlander in Tuesday’s 10-3 victory over the Astros, a hit that manager Aaron Boone likened to a 2-iron shot in golf.
Boone was at a loss for words when asked to describe Stanton’s homer on Wednesday, simply calling it “weird.”
Stanton’s home run ranked as his third hardest hit since Statcast tracking began in 2015. His record-breaking hit came in August 2018 with a 121.7 mph drive against Texas, followed by a 121.3 mph shot in July 2020 at Washington.
The home run also ranks as the fifth hardest-hit tracked by Statcast. Ronald Acuña Jr. hit a 121.2 mph shot last September at Dodger Stadium, while Stanton’s teammate Aaron Judge hit a 121.1 mph drive in June 2017 against Baltimore.
Stanton’s solo homer gave New York a 5-1 lead, following Judge’s eighth home run of the season, marking the third time this season the duo went deep in the same game. The Yankees have an impressive 34-4 record when both Judge and Stanton homer in the same game, including postseason games.
The judge praised Stanton’s performance, noting his ability to consistently hit hard and stay focused on using the entire field.
