Giancarlo Stanton's Heroics Moves New York Yankees To Within One Game Of ALCS

Giancarlo Stanton tapped the bat on and off his right shoulder seven times as he waited for the 3-1 pitch from Kansas City Royals’ Kris Bubic in the top of the eighth inning.

Bubic threw his third straight-breaking ball to the slugger. The five-time All-Star blasted the 85-mph slider 417 feet beyond the left field bullpen to give the Yankees a tie-breaking 3-2 lead at Kauffman Stadium.

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The game-winning solo home run was Stanton's third hit on the night. The Yankees had four hits total on Wednesday.

Stanton entered the contest 1-for-8 in the series. He finished 3-for-5 in Game 3 with a pair of RBIs.

The 2017 National League MVP’s fourth-inning double drove in New York's first run. Anthony Volpe scored a second Yankee run in the fifth thanks to Juan Soto's sacrifice fly. The Royals answered in the bottom of the fifth with a two-out RBI double from Royals center fielder Kyle Isabel and an RBI triple from second baseman Michael Massey.

Stanton’s heroics provided his team a 2-1 series edge over the Royals in the best-of-five ALDS. New York's 3-2 victory saddened a sold-out Royals crowd full of excitement to watch their hometown team's first playoff home matchup in nine years.

With his 12th postseason homer, Stanton became the second-highest at-bat per home run ratio in MLB postseason history with 9.4, just behind Yankees legend Babe Ruth (8.6).

"It's the biggest moments. You got to be ready for it. You got to want it," Stanton said after the game. "You are not always going to be successful, but you can't shy from the big moment."