AL DIVISION SERIES: YANKEES VS BLUE JAYS

October 8, 2025

Giancarlo Stanton

Yankee Stadium

New York Yankees

Pregame 4 Press Conference

Q. In an interview with MLB Network, you talked about how you approach big moments, you take smaller moments and try to bring them all into one moment. How did you learn how to do that, and when did it start to click to you that you felt comfortable in these clutch type situations, in these big moments?

GIANCARLO STANTON: I had to experience a few, fail in a few, and just continue to evolve and learn, try to peel back everything. Why did I do this? Why didn't this one work out, that one work out? What was the thought process? What was the preparation? And just try to find the best formula.

That always evolves. It's always going to evolve. Yeah, that's just what I try to do.

Q. Alternatively, what do you think has made this team so good in elimination situations this year, with you guys' backs against the wall again tonight?

GIANCARLO STANTON: Just knowing who we are, trusting who we are, and I guess we don't mind the hard way sometimes. It's not ideal. Yeah, just being calm, being comfortable, and playing our game, just not trying to do too much.

Q. How different, if at all, is the preparation when you know you're going to see a lot of guys tonight on the other side?

GIANCARLO STANTON: You go over similar things, just talk about who's faced them before, what we have on past at-bats, anything that stands out from the left and right side. We've had a few good looks at them this series and obviously during the year. So you take all those and come up with the best plan.

Q. Going back to last night for a minute, how would you describe Aaron Judge's night as a whole and what he means to this team? It seems like, as he goes, this team often goes?

GIANCARLO STANTON: Yeah, it's incredible, exactly what we needed, the reason I'm here right now, the reason why we have another game tonight. Yeah, he stepped up when we needed him most, and he'll be right there again today.

Q. Sticking with Aaron for a second, you've been around for a lot of his big moments, you've heard the stadium in a lot of those moments. How would you compare the sound in the stadium and also just the vibe in the dugout when that happened last night?

GIANCARLO STANTON: That was a cool one because no one really knew -- you knew it was far enough to go out, but you didn't know it would wrap the pole or not. That's always was a cool moment. You're bending with the ball a little bit until a big eruption seeing it hit the pole. It was cool. It was an awesome moment and huge for everything.

Q. Giancarlo, the Trajekt machine, how helpful of a tool is that for you personally, and is that something you spend maybe a little extra time with when you know you're going to face a bunch of pitchers in a bullpen game?

GIANCARLO STANTON: It's great to see at least shapes on it, even if you don't take a bunch of swings, but just to see release point and the shapes. Yeah, it's big, and with a bullpen day, it will be very useful today.

Q. Last night when Judge came up in that situation, beforehand you spoke to him about what to expect from Varland. What was that conversation like before he went up there?

GIANCARLO STANTON: Yeah, similar to kind of what Meredith asked. How do you prepare? It's those type of things. Any tidbit that someone has faced him a day ago, two days ago, a month ago, that info is useful. And got to know how to deliver it in a quick little bit. You've got the clock winding down. However you give him the best information.

Q. Just more broadly, you and Judge have played together eight years now. How valuable is the relationship you two have, similar profile as player, just you guys have been able to trade notes all these years?

GIANCARLO STANTON: Yeah, it's been awesome. We know each other's game inside and out. Like I was just saying how you deliver a scouting report, you've got to know each person, how they like to receive information, what works for them, what doesn't. We understand all that, and we're able to be professional, joke when we need, do all the things to help boost our play. It's just been awesome to see the evolution over the years.

Q. Giancarlo, you've been out there taking a lot of early BP. You did that last postseason too. What's your main focus when you're out there? How are things feeling right now?

GIANCARLO STANTON: Just get my balance and timing and make sure if there's any improvement to make, any little click, any swing to completely lock me in for the night ahead. Yeah, just get ahead of it usually when I do it.

Q. How are you feeling right now?

GIANCARLO STANTON: We're ready to go. We've got our backs against the wall game again. We'll go get them in a few hours here.

Q. What's impressed you the most with Cam since he was called up in the middle of the summer?

GIANCARLO STANTON: For me, his demeanor. From start one, just how comfortable he looked and unfazed really. He seemed built for moments, playoff moments and big moments. Yeah, it will be fun to watch again tonight.

Q. Was that something that you saw in that Seattle start when he made his debut? That he was built for the playoff moments?

GIANCARLO STANTON: You don't see it right away like that. You've got to have some adversity. You've got to be out there where you're not feeling your best, when you don't have all those pitches, how does he navigate? How does he figure it out? Those are the type of things that you see and watch him prep and navigate through to be ready for a time like this.

Q. Giancarlo, you generally hit the ball very hard this postseason without the rewards that usually go with hitting it that hard. Even with an accomplished hitter, does it get frustrating when you don't get results when you are probably doing everything right?

GIANCARLO STANTON: Oh, yeah. More in the postseason than during the season because each game is your season pretty much potentially on the line. It's frustrating, but you've got to understand what adjustments to make, what not to make, and just keep at it. It can't be that way forever. Yeah, got another opportunity tonight.

Q. (No microphone)

GIANCARLO STANTON: Yeah, I've done a decent job of hitting it hard. I need it in the air to be more effective. Obviously they find holes sometimes. I haven't. Yeah, just any way to be effective. And putting the ball in play hard with runners in scoring position is also very important.

You've got to put all those together, and again another opportunity tonight.

Q. You spoke about giving Aaron concise information with the clock ticking down? How do you do that? You say first pitch, likely this? Ahead in the count, that? Behind in the count, this?

GIANCARLO STANTON: We always like to talk about what's he going to do on first pitch and why, this and this and that. We give a first pitch idea. We give maybe first three pitches. Then adjust from there.

It kind of depends. It depends in division, out division, have we seen him before, have we not. It's so much that goes into it. Maybe you saw something a year and a half ago in a big spot like now.

Q. What did you say in that instance last night?

GIANCARLO STANTON: Hit a three-run homer.

(Laughter)

Q. With Devin when he went through struggles, as someone who's been here for a while and seen players go through similar and fans get on them, what reassuring things did you say to him?

GIANCARLO STANTON: That's one to keep pushing. It's cool to see him get some appreciation for how hard he's worked all year. You can say whatever you want result based, but it's not from lack of work. So it's cool to see that, especially in the biggest time of the year.

Yeah, you've got to love that. Anything to add confidence to a very important piece to our bullpen is big.

Q. Beyond the obvious when Guerrero is having the type of series that he's having for the Blue Jays, when Judge is providing the counterpunch, what does that do for you guys as a group?

GIANCARLO STANTON: We got to neutralize him, first of all. But yeah, it's awesome to see juggernauts go back and forth. We've got to be on the better end of that. Yeah, it's two of the best in the game in the biggest moment, and that's what baseball is about. That's what the highest competition is about. So it's cool.