In the Aug. 4 meeting, which followed a brutal walk-off loss to the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field, Stanton laid into his teammates while also challenging them to play up to their talent. One member of the Yankees who spoke on the condition of anonymity, granted so he could speak candidly, said it was unlike anything he had ever seen before, especially coming from Stanton, whose public comments often come off as measured.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew we were so much better than that at the time,\u201d Stanton told The Athletic<\/em> on Thursday night as the Yankees\u2019 champagne-soaked celebration of their 2-1 Wild Card Series win over the rival Boston Red Sox raged in their clubhouse.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was going to take a lot more than that (effort) to be able to have moments like this,\u201d the imposing slugger continued, nodding toward the party.<\/p>\n That August defeat had heaped insult on top of the injury that had come before it \u2014 an embarrassing three-game sweep at the hands of the middling Marlins in Miami, where Stanton had spent his first eight years in the majors. It also had come after a frenetic trade deadline in which the Yankees overhauled their roster, trading for seven players not long after learning Judge wouldn\u2019t need surgery to repair his strained right flexor tendon.<\/p>\n Stanton declined to discuss further details of what he said in the meeting, but he added it was \u201cnothing I want to do.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes,\u201d he said, \u201cyou have to do things you don\u2019t always do (or) don\u2019t want to do. I can say I felt pretty bad about it for a while afterward. I meant no harm with it.\u201d<\/p>\n The Rangers celebrate their 10th-inning walk-off win over the Yankees on Aug. 4. After the 8-5 defeat, Giancarlo Stanton addressed the entire team. (Ron Jenkins \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The loss that prompted Stanton\u2019s speech was particularly gut-wrenching, featuring a blown Yankees lead in which Devin Williams surrendered a game-tying solo shot in the ninth and Jake Bird gave up a three-run shot that ended it in the 10th. It kept New York in third place in the AL East and 5 1\/2 games back of the top spot, and it dropped the team to 22-30 in its previous 52 games.<\/p>\n Stanton\u2019s speech had its intended result. Quickly, the mood around the Yankees \u201cdefinitely\u201d changed, Judge said. Despite occasional struggles, they finished the regular season 34-15 \u2014 the best record in the majors over that span.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was good for everybody to hear,\u201d Judge said, \u201cand for all of us to kind of look in the mirror, like, \u2018Hey, am I really giving it my best? Am I really giving it my all? Time to turn around and get things moving.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Aaron Judge, here hugging Giancarlo Stanton, called his teammate\u2019s message \u201ca wakeup call.\u201d (Mark Blinch \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Stanton\u2019s teammates appreciated his candor, and his care.<\/p>\n \u201cJust kind of him acknowledging the elephant in the room, that we can be better,\u201d Ben Rice said, \u201cand that things couldn\u2019t keep sliding like that. It was good.\u201d<\/p>\n They recognize and respect his stature in the game. Over 16 seasons, Stanton has 453 career home runs, the most among active players and 40th on the all-time list. This season, he surpassed Hall of Famers Jeff Bagwell (449), Vladimir Guerrero (449) and Carl Yastrzemski (452). In 2017, he won the National League MVP. In 2014, his 13-year, $325 million extension with Miami was the most lucrative contract ever for an American athlete. He\u2019s been selected to five All-Star Games.<\/p>\n \u201cA 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, \u201cJudge said. \u201cA coach can say it or a front office person can say it, but hearing it from one of your guys that\u2019s out there battling with you every day \u2026 it\u2019s a good little reality check.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s massive,\u201d catcher Austin Wells said of the 6-foot-6, 245-pound Stanton. \u201cHe really often doesn\u2019t speak his mind. So when he does, it\u2019s usually very important.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI knew we were so much better than that at the time,\u201d Giancarlo Stanton said of his Aug. 4 address to his teammates. The Yankees finished the season 34-15. (Greg Fiume \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The Yankees also appreciated Stanton\u2019s production in the regular season. After missing the first 70 games of the season with right and left elbow epicondylitis, he quickly became a force. He hit .273 with 24 home runs, 66 RBIs and a .944 OPS in 77 games, even playing some right field for the first time since 2023.<\/p>\n But the Stanton the Yankees would like to see again is the one Yankees fans have come to call \u201cPlayoff G.\u201d Stanton has had massive postseason performances for the Yankees, including six home runs in 2020 and seven as the club marched to the World Series in 2024.<\/p>\n So far this postseason, it\u2019s been a struggle for Stanton, who has made hard contact frequently but is still hitting .150 with one walk and no home runs in 20 at-bats.<\/p>\n He went 2-for-5 with a double in Sunday\u2019s loss.<\/p>\n Talking to reporters after the game, Stanton offered how he sees the Yankees\u2019 backs-against-the-wall situation, as they return to the Bronx for Monday\u2019s off day and for Game 3 on Tuesday.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t look to the whole series,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to go one at a time. Execute each inning, each pitch and not look too far ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n Though, the Yankees could draw on what they did in the wild-card round, when they also were on the brink of elimination after losing Game 1 to the Red Sox. They won the next two to take the three-game series. They could draw on their own history, too. They recovered from 0-2 ALDS deficits in 2017 against the Cleveland Indians and in 2001 versus the Oakland Athletics.<\/p>\n Or they could look back to Stanton\u2019s speech in Texas, as a reminder that they\u2019re better than what they have shown.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re all professionals,\u201d Judge said, \u201cbut I think we all need a little kick in the ass every now and then.\u201d<\/p>\n Especially now, with the Yankees\u2019 postseason survival on the line.<\/p>\n (Top photo: Ishika Samant \/ Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In the Aug. 4 meeting, Stanton laid into his teammates and challenged them to play up to their talent. Can they channel his message again?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":103793,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[44,40],"class_list":["post-103792","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb","tag-mlb","tag-new-york-yankees"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Inside](\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2025\/08\/05005649\/GettyImages-2227899163-scaled.jpg\")
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