Enlivened by rivalry and rest, Stanton powers Yanks to opening win at Fenway

BOSTON – Giancarlo Stanton has always enjoyed hitting at Fenway Park, where the unique field dimensions provide an inviting target. It’s a perfect match for the slugger and his high-velocity swing, which is also one of a kind.

Stanton continued his track record of impactful performances in baseball’s oldest ballpark on Tuesday evening, clipping a light tower with a long homer and drilling the Green Monster with a two-run double in the Yankees’ 4-0 victory over the Red Sox.

“It’s always a fun rivalry game, no matter where each team is in the standings,” Stanton said. “It’s just a good experience; a good, pure baseball place to play. And you’ve got to raise your game in those types of situations.”

The designated hitter entered hitless in 17 at-bats this season against left-handed pitching, but he corrected that against Connelly Early, clipping a second-inning slider that turned everyone’s necks toward Lansdowne Street.

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“He can hit the ball as hard as anyone in this game,” said Randal Grichuk, who added a run-scoring double in the eighth. “It’s fun to watch him connect.”

In 40 career games at Fenway, Stanton is batting .316 (48-for-152) with eight homers and 27 RBIs. If Stanton looked recharged, there might be a reason: Manager Aaron Boone kept him out on Sunday against the Royals, stacking that with Monday’s team off-day.

“I think it was probably beneficial, especially because he’d played five in a row there with some day games after night games,” Boone said. “I think there’s probably something to that, where he benefits from that. We’ll continue to be mindful of that and pick our spots when it’s smart.”

Stanton didn’t make his season debut last year until June while he dealt with epicondylitis in both elbows – an issue he has learned to manage.

“You always want to be out there, but sometimes recovery time is good,” Stanton said. “Whenever I’m out there, I try to make them good numbers.”

Early held the Yanks off the board again until the sixth, when Stanton got him again – this time, belting a changeup to left-center field that dented the wall and swelled the lead by chasing home Amed Rosario and Aaron Judge.

Stanton ripped another deep drive in the eighth facing Jack Anderson, only to be robbed on what Stanton called a “nasty” leaping grab by Gold Glove center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela.

That grab was the highlight of the night for the home team – otherwise, it was all Yankees. The Red Sox have struggled to generate offense all year, a trend that continued against Luis Gil, who completed 6 1/3 scoreless innings in his third start of the season.

“Definitely a good outing,” Gil said through interpreter Marlon Abreu. “I was able to give my team a good outing. I think the key tonight was just mixing pitches very well.”

That success is also nothing new for Gil, who entered Tuesday with an 0.99 ERA (three earned runs in 27 1/3 innings) across five career starts vs. Boston.

“Hopefully that’s something he builds on and continues to go, because we know how good he can be when he’s right,” Boone said.

Gil generated just three swings and misses while seeing his velocity dip from its season averages – 1.8 mph on his fastball, 1.2 mph on his sinker and 3.6 mph on his slider. Gil attributed that to the weather conditions, with a first-pitch temperature of 47 degrees.

“It was a cold night, for sure,” Gil said. “You never know [what causes it]. The good thing is, I felt really, really good tonight.”

And it showed; Gil didn’t need to be overpowering as he took advantage of a youthful and aggressive Boston lineup. He limited the Sox to two hits, issuing three walks with two strikeouts – including a five-pitch sixth that allowed him to push deeper into the game.

“That was awesome, getting a lot of soft outs,” Stanton said. “He did a lot of staying away from the barrel and did a good job getting deep.”

Having won six of their past eight games, the Yankees have posted back-to-back shutouts for the second time this season. They also did it in their first two games against the Giants in San Francisco (March 25-27).

“When you’re able to execute the plan you put together, good things happen,” Gil said.