Stanton to aim for LA hills again as ASG starter

BOSTON -- Long before Giancarlo Stanton had a National League Most Valuable Player Award in his trophy case, positioned alongside the Silver Sluggers and his baubles from winning a Home Run Derby, the future Yankees superstar was just a kid from Southern California who enjoyed rooting hard for his hometown Dodgers.

• All-Star starters are set. Who made the cut?

That made his feat even more special in 2015, when during a Marlins-Dodgers contest at Chavez Ravine, Stanton launched a 475-foot drive to become just the fourth player ever to crush a baseball completely out of Dodger Stadium.

He will have a fresh opportunity to take aim at the San Gabriel Mountains later this month, as Stanton has been selected as a starting American League outfielder for the July 19 All-Star Game in Los Angeles. Stanton also said that he is interested in participating in the Home Run Derby, though that has not been officially set.

“It’s amazing. Thank you to the fans,” Stanton said. “It’s really cool to be able to go where I grew up and be in the All-Star Game. It’s going to be really cool.”

This marks the fifth career All-Star selection and the first in the AL for the 32-year-old Stanton, who is batting .237/.323/.510 with 21 home runs and 54 RBIs in 69 games.

“I’m so excited for him,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “He’s a pro, and I have so much respect for Big G and the way he goes about things, who he is.”

Stanton edged George Springer of the Blue Jays for the final spot 22 percent to 20 percent in a tight fan vote, earning the nod to play alongside teammate Aaron Judge -- who by virtue of his MLB-leading 3,762,498 votes in Phase 1 earned automatic selection -- and the Angels’ Mike Trout in the AL outfield.

A fan-elected starter in 2015 with Miami, Stanton joins Judge as the first pair of Yankees outfielders to earn fan-elected starts together since Hall of Famers Rickey Henderson and Dave Winfield did so in 1988.

“It’s going to be really cool; we were joking about it in the dugout [on Friday],” Stanton said. “It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be a lot of good memories.”

Stanton has mused about his mammoth home run at Dodger Stadium in recent years, relaying a story about how he was 10 years old chasing batting practice home runs when he confidently told his father: “I’m going to hit one completely out of this stadium.”

He finally made good on May 12, 2015, clobbering a blast toward the parking lot off the Dodgers’ Mike Bolsinger. Stanton’s drive hit the back of a canopy in the left-field pavilion before bouncing out of the stadium.

“Kids say some wild things, but I was dead serious,” Stanton said in 2020. “I thought about it every time I’d go there after that.”

Before Stanton, the others to belt a homer exiting Dodger Stadium were Mark McGwire (483 feet, May 22, 1999), Mike Piazza (478 feet, Sept. 21, 1997) and Willie Stargell twice (470 feet, May 8, 1973; and 506 feet, 6 inches, Aug. 5, 1969).

Toronto’s Alejandro Kirk held on in fan voting to secure the starting catcher’s job over the Yankees’ Jose Trevino, who is still in consideration for a backup spot. The remaining All-Star rosters will be announced Sunday on ESPN at 5:30 p.m. ET. MLB All-Star Week information can be found at AllStarGame.com and on social media @MLB. MLB Network, MLB.com and SiriusXM will also provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage.