The New York Yankees snagged their fifth win in a row against the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday night. Yet, this victory carried a hefty toll for the opposition, especially for Tigers’ pitcher Matt Manning, who sustained a fractured foot due to a blistering hit from Yankees’ slugger Giancarlo Stanton.
Matt Manning’s Short-lived Outing and Costly Injury
Manning managed to hang on for just a single inning, yielding a hit before being yanked out of the game. The pivotal moment came when Stanton unleashed a rocket with a staggering exit velocity of 119.5 mph, drilling it straight back at Manning. The ball struck Manning’s ankle and ricocheted up into the air before landing neatly in his glove. A remarkable display of athleticism, no doubt, but it cost Manning his ankle, which was later diagnosed as fractured.
Giancarlo Stanton: A Down Year With the Yankees
Ironically, this was Stanton’s hardest-hit ball of the year, reaching his peak exit velocity. Despite muddling through a less-than-stellar 2023 season—with a batting average of just .203 and an OBP of .281—the Yankees are still leaning on him as their go-to cleanup hitter. The anticipation is that a rejuvenated Stanton will emerge in 2024, contingent largely on his ability to stay healthy.
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The Ongoing Health Saga of Stanton
The key to Stanton’s revival is his availability. A hamstring injury did curtail his output earlier in the season, adding to a series of letdowns in recent years. While his power metrics are still robust, it’s his decision-making at the plate and the quality of contact that seem to have suffered a downturn.
Wishing Matt Manning a Speedy Recovery
In the meantime, our thoughts are with Matt Manning. We wish him a swift and complication-free recovery hoping to see him back on the mound next season.
This string of events underlines the volatile nature of baseball—a game where fortunes can pivot in a mere instant, for better or worse.
