Stanton "Earns His Pinstripes"

The Yankees played the Washington Nationals in a rainout makeup at Nationals Park on Monday. Sonny Gray started, and allowed 2 runs over 5 innings. Both runs came via outs by former Yankee Mark Reynolds: A groundout in the 2nd inning, and a sacrifice fly in the 4th.

Aaron Hicks gave the Yanks a 3-2 lead with a home run in the 5th, and a Giancarlo Stanton double in the 7th produced the final score. Yankees 4, Nationals 2. WP: Gray (5-4). SV: Aroldis Chapman (21). LP: Erick Fedde (0-2).

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Then the Yankees came home to face the Seattle Mariners. Domingo German did an impression of the man whose place in the rotation he's taken, the injured Masahiro Tanaka: He allowed a run in the 1st inning, then settled down and pitched well. Giancarlo Stanton got the run back with a homer in the bottom of the 1st.

It remained 1-1 until the bottom of the 5th, when Miguel Andujar and Hicks hit home runs. Aaron Judge singled home a run in the 7th, and Gleyber Torres hit a home run in the 8th.

Yankees 7, Mariners 2. WP: German (2-4). No save. LP: Marco Gonzales (7-4).

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The Wednesday night game was a bit trickier. Rookie Jonathan Loaisiga did not have good stuff, and didn't get out of the 4th inning. Aaron Boone forgot that you never, ever bring Chasen Shreve in to relieve, and he deepened the hole. And "King" Felix Hernandez was pitching for the M's, so when it was 5-0 Seattle going to the bottom of the 5th, it didn't look good.

But, as they would say in English soccer, "Five-nil, and you fucked it up!" With 1 out in the bottom of the 5th, Andujar doubled to left, Hicks drew a walk, and Judge singled Andjuar home. That would be the last inning for the alleged King. The Yankees went to work on the Mariner bullpen, getting another run home in the 7th, and tying the game with a Gary Sanchez home run in the 8th.

Chapman got the M's out 1-2-3 in the 9th. With 2 outs, Didi Gregorius singled, and Stanton blasted a drive into the bleachers in left-center field. Yankees 7, Mariners 5. WP: Chapman (3-0). No save. LP: Ryan Cook (1-1).

Lots of people on #YankeesTwitter said that Stanton had finally "become a Yankee" or "earned his Pinstripes." No. That can only be done in the postseason, and we're a long way from the postseason. But that game did get us one game closer.