Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton drills hardest-hit ball of '24

NEW YORK -- Yankeesslugger Giancarlo Stanton hit a 119.9 mph home run Wednesday night against the Houston Astros, the hardest-hit ball in the majors this season.

In the third inning, Stanton pulled a 1-2 curveball from rookie starter Spencer Arrighetti into the second deck in left field at Yankee Stadium, just inside the foul pole. The 447-foot drive came one night after Stanton rocketed a 118.8 mph homer off Justin Verlander in Tuesday's 10-3 win over the Astros.

It was Stanton's third-hardest-hit home run since Statcast tracking began in 2015. He launched a 121.7 mph homer against Texas in August 2018 -- the big league record in the Statcast era -- and a 121.3 mph shot at Washington in July 2020 that ranks second.

Stanton's solo homer gave New York a 5-1 lead, two batters after teammate Aaron Judge opened the inning with his eighth home run. It was the third time this season the duo went deep in the same game. The Yankees entered 33-4 when Judge and Stanton homer in the same game, including the postseason.

Stanton and Judge homered after Juan Soto hit a two-run shot on the first pitch he saw in the first inning. It was the first time the powerful trio all went deep in the same game for the Yankees.