Power Source

Delayed a day, the Yankees home opener marked Giancarlo Stanton's first home game in pinstripes. But he didn't steal the show; the Miami exile struck out a cringe-worthy five times. All star catcher Gary Sanchez also went hitless. Aaron Judge had a nice day, but nothing to grab the tabloid backpages (two hits and two walks). So who stole the show -- in historic fashion?
Bestowed a noble title by his native Curacao, Sir Didi Gregorius had a home opener for the ages. A pair of three run homers, plus a double and a two-RBI single. Add that up: eight runs driven in -- the most productive home opener for any Yankee batter ever. Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Berra, Mantle... You know the names. All beloved, all retired and displayed in Monument Park -- yet none of the legends did what Didi did Tuesday afternoon.
Those eight RBIs were the most by a Yankee in 13 years -- Alex Rodriguez drove in 10 on April 26th, 2005, against the Angels. And the most in a game by any Yankee shortstop.
Three years ago, some experts wondered why the Yankees traded for Gregorius -- his two seasons with the Diamondbacks hinted at best he'd be a placeholder until a Yankee prospect was ready to take over at shortstop. After all, there's that time-testing line about never being chosen to succeed a legend. Didi has done all he could to disprove that, with a sunny and thoughtful outlook that has charmed a fan base used to 19 seasons of Derek Jeter's cool, calm and measured demeanor.
Even with the analytics-driven trend of slotting your best hitter second in the order, there's still something special about being the cleanup hitter. And on a damp, raw afternoon, that's where Didi batted -- and excelled!

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