The New York Yankees are facing a tough challenge after losing their second straight playoff game to the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday.
Now they will return to Yankee Stadium facing must-win pressure and former Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber on the mound against them. But this won’t be the first time this Yankees team has faced some adversity.
After starting this season with the sport’s best offense, the Yankees endured a harsh stretch and a fall in the standings after the All-Star break. And after a particularly bad loss against the Texas Rangers in August, the players received a clear message from veteran slugger Giancarlo Stanton that helped them surge back into playoff contention.
Stanton held a private meeting after that game, which was revealed by The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty following the Yankees’ second loss in the division series on Sunday. Team captain Aaron Judge sent a clear three-word description of his teammate’s message during that low.
“A wake-up call,” Judge said when asked to describe the impact of Stanton’s private meeting, per Kuty.
Stanton, who stood out as one of the team’s most productive players during its World Series run last year, thought it was time to call out the rest of the players and whatever he said seemed to have a big impact at the time.
“A guy like Big G, who has been around the game and has been around a lot of teams and had a lot of great moments,” Judge added, per Kuty. “A coach can say it or a front office person can say it, but hearing it from one of your guys that’s out here battling with you every day … it’s a good little reality check.”
With the Yankees facing another deficit and the end of their season looming, it might be time for Stanton to give his team another wake-up call, reality check or whatever else might spark some urgency.
More MLB: Mets Closer Expected to Make $11 Million Contract Move After Injury
