After the Yankees signed Jason Giambi to his huge contract during the offseason, many people wondered if there would be an adjustment period as the slugger grew accustomed to the expectations of playing in New York.
Of course, those concerns were completely unfounded, since Giambi immediately picked up where he left off in Oakland without a hitch. . . . What? There were problems? He struggled and was booed at Yankee Stadium? That can’t be true. Actually, Giambi has a hard time believing it.
“It does seem like a long time ago,” said Giambi, who continued his offensive surge with a 2-for-3 day, including a double, two runs scored and his first triple of the season in the Yankees’ 10-6 win over the Blue Jays at the Stadium. “I know I was booed here, but I don’t even remember it.”
It will likely be a long time before the first baseman hears catcalls again in The Bronx. He has upped his average to .318 and leads the Bombers with 22 homers and 71 RBIs as he heads off to start in tomorrow’s All-Star Game in Milwaukee. That’s a long way from his mid-.200 batting average and seeming inability to hit one out at the Stadium in the early part of the season.
And there was one instant where it all changed for Giambi.
“To me, the defining moment was that grand slam against Minnesota,” Joe Torre said of the game-winning blast in the 14th inning during the early-morning hours of May 18 in a driving rain at the Stadium. “I think that really settled him in and freed him up to talk to the pitchers and take on a leadership role.”
He hasn’t let it go. In addition to coming up with his first stand-up triple “since Little League” when Toronto rightfielder Jose Cruz, Jr. dove and missed his liner in the fifth, Giambi repeatedly visited Jeff Weaver on the mound while the newcomer battled through seven innings in his Yankee debut. It’s something his teammates have come to expect.
“He kept his composure when things weren’t going so well and people were giving him a hard time,” said Bernie Williams. “He was under so much pressure. So now that he’s playing better and everyone else is playing better, his ability has taken over.”
Giambi isn’t worried about living up to any more expectations.
“I know what it’s like to be on a club that is scuffling and loses 100 games,” said Giambi, who was pinch-run for after his two-run double in the seventh and exited to a standing ovation. “It makes life a lot easier when you’re going through some hard times and the team is still winning baseball games. That got me more comfortable faster. Now, I couldn’t feel more at ease.”
The same could probably be said of the fans.