After three straight defeats, the Yankees needed a win on Saturday night. They got one, 8-3 over Atlanta, before 45,056 at Yankee Stadium.
But they also might have lost Giancarlo Stanton, who left the game for a pinch hitter in the sixth inning because of left hamstring tightness. The Yankees said Stanton will undergo an MRI on Sunday.
Stanton appeared to be limping as he left the clubhouse without speaking to reporters. Manager Aaron Boone said Stanton injured the leg while rounding third as he scored on Gleyber Torres’ double in the fourth inning.
“Hopefully it’s not too significant,” Boone said. “He just came to me after that [inning] and said he needed to come out. We’ll see what we’ve got tomorrow.”
Marcus Stroman gave up one run and two hits through six innings and wound up allowing three runs and three hits in 6 2⁄3 innings.
Aaron Judge gave the Yankees their first lead in four games with his MLB-leading 28th home run, a two-run shot in the first inning, and they led the rest of the way. Judge wound up with three RBIs, giving him 70.
Stanton’s history of leg injuries and long stints on the injured list has loomed over the excellent season he has been having after spending the offseason losing weight in an attempt to stay healthy.
Stanton led off the fourth with a sizzling double off the centerfield fence and rounded second slightly before heading back to the bag. He scored without a throw two batters later on Torres’ double to left to give the Yankees a 4-1 lead.
Torres returned to the lineup after leaving Thursday’s game with right groin tightness and sitting out on Friday. The Yankees can only hope Stanton heals that quickly, but history is not on their side.
Stanton is batting .246 with 18 home runs, 45 RBIs and a .794 OPS in 69 games. If he has to go on the injured list, that could lead to more designated hitter duty for Judge.
“Hopefully we’ll get some news [Sunday],” Judge said. “But he’s such a force for this offense, being in the middle of this lineup . . . Hitting the homers. Coming up clutch with guys on base. That’s a big part of his game. So hopefully we get some good news.”
Atlanta took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on Marcell Ozuna’s home run into the Yankees’ bullpen.
With one out in the bottom of the first, Juan Soto walked against Charlie Morton before Judge smashed a 366-foot homer to right-center to give the Yankees their first lead since Tuesday against Baltimore.
“Momentum shift, you know?” Stroman said. “Gives me a boost, definitely a boost, and kind of kicks me into gear, letting me know I’ve got to do a little bit more because they’re doing their part.”
Judge’s double-play grounder with the bases loaded made it 3-1 in the third.
Three runs came home with Aaron Bummer on the mound in the sixth. The lefthander replaced Morton (97 pitches) with a man on first and walked Austin Wells, gave up a two-run single by Oswaldo Cabrera, allowed a double by Anthony Volpe, walked Soto and walked Judge to force in a run before getting Alex Verdugo on a groundout to end the inning.
In the previous two games, starters Luis Gil and Carlos Rodon were lit up for 19 hits and 15 runs (14 earned) in a combined five innings. The Yankees (52-27) had no such worries on Saturday.
Stroman (7-3, 3.15 ERA) was in command until Travis d’Arnaud hit a two-out, two-run homer on the righthander’s 93rd and final pitch in the seventh. Stroman walked two and struck out six.
“It’s just a good shutdown outing after just a little bit of a tough week for us,” Boone said. “That was big.”
Boone was ejected earlier in the seventh by plate umpire Derek Thomas after arguing a ball-four call to Ozuna. Stroman threw four straight balls to Ozuna, but two of them, including the fourth one, appeared to be in the upper part of the strike zone.
“I get it. I carried on a little bit,” Boone said. “But I just felt like there was some pitches at the top of the zone we should have had.”
Grisham, who could be in line for more playing time in center if Stanton goes on the IL, hit an opposite-field homer to left to make it 8-3 in the seventh.
The Yankees learned earlier in the week that top outfield prospect Jasson Dominguez will be out about eight weeks after suffering an oblique strain, so he is not an option to be promoted.
