The remarkable feat Giancarlo Stanton just accomplished appears in the box score as something he’d rather forget.
The New York Yankees slugger tied his own record for highest exit velocity Monday when he hit a ball 122.2 mph. But instead of rocketing the delivery from Kansas City Royals pitcher Carlos Hernández into the stands at Kauffman Stadium, Stanton grounded into a double play in the second inning.
You can check out the highlight here.
MLB’s StatCast in 2015 started tracking how hard batters hit balls during games. The powerful grounder Stanton hit Monday matches the speed of a ball he hit four seasons ago.
Stanton has the seven hardest-hit balls of the 2021 MLB season. Prior to Monday, the highest exit velocity on the campaign was a 120.2-mph ball he hit June 17 against the Toronto Blue Jays.
That play also was a ground out.
