Giancarlo Stanton calls two-homer, four-RBI day 'a long time coming'

HOUSTON -- Aaron Boone could tell one of his most powerful hitters needed a quick pick-me-up.

Just after theNew York Yankees rallied late to beat the Houston Astros on Tuesday night, Boone slipped into the role of team motivator as he turned to outfielder Giancarlo Stanton. He wanted to settle Stanton's nerves following his second straight three-strikeout performance.

"There's going to be many nights when you carry us when the rest of the team is struggling," Boone said, relaying to reporters Wednesday his conversation with Stanton from the night before.

Little did Boone know when he spoke to Stanton that, less than 24 hours later, his promise would come to fruition.

As the Yankees kept up their winning ways Wednesday, notching their 11th win in 12 games, Stanton supplied all the power and runs they needed to breeze past the Astros 4-0. He crushed a pair of home runs off All-Star Dallas Keucheland added an eighth-inning RBI double.

"It's always good to hear that," Stanton said of Boone's words. "It's been a long time coming, but just got to be patient and know that it's a long season. And there are going to be games like this, and there are going to be games where you're on the other side of it."

Since he has been in pinstripes, Stanton has been mostly playing on that opposite side. Strikeouts and a lack of production have defined the bulk of his season to this point.

In the two days before Wednesday's game, Stanton went a combined 0-for-8 with six strikeouts.

Still, there have been flashes of the mashing success that Stanton had with the Miami Marlins last season, when he earned his first MVP trophy; after hitting a major-league-leading 59 home runs in 2017, he has seven homers and 19 RBIs after a little more than a month of play this season.

Along with the two-run homer to right and the solo shot into Minute Maid Park's left-field Crawford Boxes on Wednesday, Stanton also hit two home runs in Toronto on Opening Day. He now has had 30 multihomer games in his career, becoming the third-fastest player in baseball history to accomplish that feat. Only Ralph Kiner (743 games) and Juan Gonzalez (1,004) reached that many multihomer games faster than Stanton, who did it in Game No. 1,016.

"At the end of the season, he's going to hit 50 homers," said Yankees starter Luis Severino, who struck out 10 Astros on Wednesday in his first career complete game and first career shutout. "I don't care what everybody says. He's a great hitter. And he's going to continue to do this stuff."

Much of what has been said about Stanton this season has been critical. At times during the Yankees' only two homestands so far, Stanton has been booed loudly by fans angered by the pace with which he has been striking out.

Through 30 games, Stanton has struck out 47 times. It was during the Yankees' first two series in the Bronx that he struck out five times in a game twice. Although he hasn't done that since, the strikeouts are still high.

To prevent those from being a glaring issue Wednesday, Stanton kept a simple approach.

"Just got good pitches to hit, was on time, got the barrel on them," Stanton said.

He still struck out once.

While a game like Wednesday's, as well as the one he had on Opening Day, might be positives, Stanton said he still wants much more production from himself.

"There are breakout nights, but you've got to go back to the drawing board and get it done," he said. "You need breakout weeks. One day ain't going to do it."