NEW YORK _ During his Marlins playing days in South Beach, Giancarlo Stanton and his teammates rarely had to worry about home openers being postponed unless the Florida rain created a lake in the Marlins Park outfield.
The new Yankee slugger got his first taste of baseball games scheduled during April in the northeast after snow blanketed the Yankee Stadium field early Monday, causing the Bombers' home opener against the Rays to be postponed until Tuesday at 4:05 p.m.
"Exactly like it," Stanton joked when asked if the "snow-out" compared with anything he had ever witnessed in Miami.
Stanton took to his Instagram account Monday morning and posted a short video of the wintry wonderland from the vantage point of the Stadium home dugout, along with a snowman emoji and the caption: "Since the game is cancelled I'm About to go streaking." Stanton's female admirers probably came close to breaking the internet replaying the post.
In the confines of the Yankee clubhouse, Stanton told reporters that when he peeked out at the snow early Monday, he was still "ready to go" and was prepared to suit up in pinstripes for the first time in a regular-season game.
"You've got to keep the same mindset that we're ready to play until you get confirmation. I've had times where I look out and I'm like, 'There's not a chance. ...' Then you kick back a little bit and sure enough, you're out there playing," said Stanton, who has Alex Rodriguez's old locker. "We've got confirmation now (of the postponement), and go from there."
Yankee fans have to wait for Tuesday until they can see Stanton and fellow towering teammate Aaron Judge take the outfield, when both will take their positions and salute the Bleacher Creatures during roll call. Rookie Yankee manager Aaron Boone said both Stanton and Judge would play in the outfield (Stanton in left, Judge in right) at least the next two games _ Tuesday and Wednesday against the Rays.
Stanton smiled when asked how his swing will fit at the Stadium and its short porch in right field.
"Think it fits nice," he said.
Boone said that both Stanton and Judge are the "impact players that they are" because of their ability to "hit the ball out to all fields," even if they don't get all of their bat on the ball.
"I think there's a comfort level as a hitter here, especially as a right-handed hitter when you know you don't have to get the best of it to drive it out the other way," Boone said. "I think it allows you to be a better hitter because you're allowed to react a split second later knowing that you can drive the ball with authority the other way. I think this ballpark is set up for (Stanton). Hopefully we'll just continue to encourage the approach we've seen from him, of really trying to work the ball the other way and back through the middle with that great power."
Stanton has only played at Yankee Stadium once before, during a June 2015 Marlins two-game series in the Bronx. In eight at-bats, he was 2-for-8 with a home run, two strikeouts and a run scored. Stanton said Yankee fans "didn't give me a hard time" and that he enjoyed their "enthusiasm."
"Yeah, it's gonna be fun," Stanton said of playing in the Bronx this season. "The atmosphere, hitting here. Looking forward to it."
Boone said Judge is "real close" to getting his timing back in his swing after having left shoulder surgery during the offseason. Judge, the 2017 American League Rookie of the Year after clubbing 52 homers, went 3-for-15 with three walks and no home runs during the four games in Toronto to start the '18 season. "I thought Toronto pitched (Judge) pretty tough," said Boone. "A lot of those pitches that they got him on were perfectly-executed pitches. He's still finding his way on base. I think he's good. Even though he didn't light it on fire the first weekend, he still manages to get on base."
