Giancarlo Stanton was all the offense the Yankees needed as he drove in all five runs of New York's 5-1 win over the Nationals.
The Yankees were outhit by the Nationals, 8-6, but delivered when it mattered. The Yanks were just 1-for-6 with RISP, with eight runners left on base, while the Nats were 3-for-12 with nine left on base.
Here are the takeaways…
–Luis Gil was up and down in this one, getting through the first two innings, stranding runners and not allowing a run. However, the Nationals' overaggressiveness benefited them when Robert Hassell III ran through the stop sign at third base and scored on a one-out single that took Cody Bellinger and the Yankees by surprise. There was no urgency to throw the ball in, and Hassell got in ahead of the cutoff throw from a double-clutching Amed Rosario.
Gil escaped the third but walked two in the fourth. The right-hander's velocity seemed a tick low on his fastball (93 mph) and Aaron Boone and the training staff came out to see if Gil was ok. Gil convinced them he was fine and struck out Jacob Young on a 95 mph fastball to end the frame.
After James Wood led off the fifth with a double, Gil bounced back, getting the next two batters, and then Bellinger gunned down Woods at home after a Josh Bell single to keep the Nationals at one run.
Gil's night was done after five innings and 92 pitches (59 strikes), allowing one run on five hits and four walks while striking out five batters.
–Fernando Cruz, activated Tuesday from the IL, was the first arm out of the bullpen and immediately got into trouble. He gave up a leadoff single and hit a batter to put two runners on with no outs. After a strikeout, Hassell bunted for an infield single to load the bases before striking out Young. Boone brought in Tim Hill, who got Wood to ground out to end the threat.
The rest of the bullpen kept the Nationals at bay to lock down the win. Here's how the relievers broke down:
- Cruz: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 K
- Hill: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 K
- Camilo Doval: 1.0 IP, 2 K
- David Bednar: 1.0 IP, 2 K
–The Yankees offense had a tough time with Mackenzie Gore until the third, when Paul Goldschmidt led off the inning with a double before Aaron Judge and Bellinger walked the bases loaded with two outs. Giancarlo Stanton was up with the RBI chance and the slugger delivered, clearing the bases with a double off the left-center field wall.
Stanton wasn't done. With a man on in the sixth, Stanton launched a 451-foot blast to give the Yanks a 5-1 lead. It's his longest home run of the season. The Yankees slugger was replaced in the field by Jose Caballero in the seventh, ending his night after going 2-for-3 with five RBI.
–Anthony Volpe was back in the lineup after two games on the bench. Hitting eighth, Volpe went 0-for-4 with a strikeout. Judge went 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored.
Game MVP: Giancarlo Stanton
The slugger is arguably on the hottest offensive streak of his career.
Highlights
GIANCARLO STANTON CLEARS THE BASES! pic.twitter.com/QagsBPGJAE
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) August 27, 2025
Cody Bellinger throws out James Wood at the plate 💪 pic.twitter.com/93bfbXkRQw
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) August 27, 2025
GIANCARLO STANTON HITS ONE 451 FEET! pic.twitter.com/fpCaZbCjul
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) August 27, 2025
What's next
The Yankees have a short turnaround as they play the series finale against the Naitonals on Wednesday afternoon. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m.
Max Fried (13-5, 3.14 ERA) will take the mound against Cade Cavalli (1-0, 2.82 ERA).
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