Almost a half-century ago, the New York Yankees broke their World Series title drought of 14 years, at the time their longest since 1921 when the Bronx Bombers played in their first World Series. And they broke it in dramatic fashion, thanks to Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson.

In Game 6 of the 1977 World Series, Jackson belted three home runs, lifting the Yankees to an 8-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers, giving New York its first World Series trophy since 1962 — and forever earning Jackson the title “Mr. October.”

In 2024, the Yankees found a new “Mr. October,” Giancarlo Stanton, who smashed seven home runs in the postseason including two in the World Series when the Yankees faced the Dodgers one more time.

In this, the 12th World Series matchup between the two iconic franchises — seven when the Dodgers still played in Brooklyn — even Stanton’s power was not enough, as the Yankees went down to defeat in five games, only the fourth time the Dodgers have prevailed in the rivalry.

Stanton’s postseason heroics have not been limited to last season. In 172 plate appearances spread over 41 playoff and World Series games for the Yankees since 2020, Stanton has totaled 18 home runs. That’s one home run every 9.6 times he comes to plate.

New ‘Mr. October’ May Miss April and May, At Least

On Thursday, however, the injury-plagued Yankees got even more bad news, and they’ve had a lot this spring.

They already knew Stanton — entering the 11th season of the 13-year, $325 million contract he signed in 2014 when he was with the Miami Marlins — would miss time in 2025 with pain in both of his elbows. He has missed all of spring training so far.

Now, longtime baseball insider Jon Heyman reports in his New York Post column that Stanton has another injury on top of the twin elbow ailments.

“Stanton is said to be dealing with a chronic calf issue as well as the elbow injuries,” Heyman reported — adding that the elbow issues were “the bigger problem” because the 35-year-old who has hit 429 regular season home runs may end up requiring surgery on the elbows. And that is a doomsday scenario for Stanton’s 2025 season, and possibly for the Yankees as well.

“At this point, the Yankees are left hoping that Stanton can contribute in the second half of the season, but his injury situation is far from encouraging,” wrote Empire Sports Media founder Alexander Wilson on Friday. “If surgery becomes inevitable, the team may have to prepare for life without their slugger for the entire year.”

According to Heyman’s report, “Memorial Day is one optimistic estimate heard for Stanton now.”

But that date, which falls on May 26 this year, does indeed sound optimistic given Stanton’s newly reported calf injury and the fact that mutiple treatments he has received on his elbows appear to have been minimally effective at best.

Postseason Hero’s Health a ‘Ticking Time Bomb’

“Stanton’s elbow pain isn’t just a minor setback—it’s severe enough that he’s gone through extensive treatment just to avoid surgery.

Even if the PRP injections help, there’s no guarantee they will solve the problem long-term. If his pain doesn’t improve over the next few weeks, he might be forced to undergo surgery on both elbows,” Wilson wrote.

PRP, or “platelet-rich plasma” injections, involve injecting a patient’s own blood plasma prepared with a high concentration of platelets — a type of blood cell that promotes healing of damaged tissue — directly into the patient’s injured area.

“The reality,” Wilson continued, “is that Stanton’s health remains a ticking time bomb.”