Plenty of wacky things happen throughout a Major League Baseball season. Most days you go to the ballpark, you'll see something you haven't seen before.
That's why The Athletic's Jayson Stark made note of a random Giancarlo Stanton plate appearance with the New York Yankees on September 21 against the Baltimore Orioles.
Stanton was credited for a game played despite the Orioles opting to put him on first base without throwing a pitch. The intentional walk followed manager Aaron Boone's decision to pinch-hit Stanton for Ryan McMahon. Stanton wasn't allowed to run the bases, as Anthony Volpe came in to pinch run.
"If you check the box score, you’ll see he did indeed qualify for a “game played” that day. I’m just not sure the “played” part applies," wrote Stark about Stanton's appearance.
Will this happen to Stanton again?
If Stanton can remain a threat to hit the ball into the seats, he may see more intentional walks as a pinch hitter - depending on the game's situation. Previous injuries severely limit his abilities as a baserunner, so a pinch runner is always a possibility for the 36-year-old.
Stanton leads active MLB players with 453 career home runs, 49 more than Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels. He needs an otherworldly and healthy season to reach 500 in 2026, but he should be able to accomplish the feat in 2027.
He has two years remaining on the 13-year, $325 million contract he signed with the Miami Marlins in 2014, the richest contract in sports history at the time.
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