Plenty of wacky things happen throughout a Major League Baseball season. Most days you go to the ballpark, you’ll see something you haven’t seen before.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That’s why The Athletic’s Jayson Stark <\/a>made note of a random Giancarlo Stanton plate appearance with the New York Yankees<\/a> on September 21 against the Baltimore Orioles<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Stanton was credited for a game played despite the Orioles opting to put him on first base without throwing a pitch. The intentional walk followed manager Aaron Boone’s decision to pinch-hit Stanton for Ryan McMahon<\/a>. Stanton wasn’t allowed to run the bases, as Anthony Volpe came in to pinch run.\u00a0<\/p>\n “If you check the box score, you\u2019ll see he did indeed qualify for a \u201cgame played\u201d that day. I\u2019m just not sure the \u201cplayed\u201d part applies,” wrote Stark about Stanton’s appearance.\u00a0<\/p>\n Will this happen to Stanton again?\u00a0<\/p>\n If Stanton can remain a threat to hit the ball into the seats, he may see more intentional walks as a pinch hitter – depending on the game’s situation. Previous injuries severely limit his abilities as a baserunner, so a pinch runner is always a possibility for the 36-year-old.\u00a0<\/p>\n Stanton leads active MLB players<\/a> with 453 career home runs, 49 more than Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels<\/a>. He needs an otherworldly and healthy season to reach 500 in 2026, but he should be able to accomplish the feat in 2027.\u00a0<\/p>\n