Giancarlo Stanton felt Yankees pressure, Carlos Beltran says

Carlos Betlran: “I don’t care what” Giancarlo Stanton says, he felt the “pressure” of playing with Yankees.

NEW YORK — Giancarlo Stanton definitely felt the heat of playing in the Bronx.

That’s at least according to Carlos Beltran, who played three years with the Yankees and seven with the Mets.

“I don’t care what he said,” Beltran said, “if he didn’t feel the pressure or not. But at the end of the day, you do feel the pressure. You do feel the pressure. It’s a pressure of going out there and performing. It’s a pressure of going out there and improving yourself.”

Beltran was speaking before a celebrity softball game at Yankee Stadium hosted by CC Sabathia‘s PitcchIn Foundation, which raises money and spearheads initiatives for inner city youth.

A spokesman said the event raised about $1 million.

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Coming off a National League MVP with the Marlins, Stanton got off to a rough start in pinstripes.

The 28-year-old hit just .237 with nine homers and 23 RBI through his first 36 games — paltry performance for a player who hit 59 homers the year before.

Since then, he’s been one of the Yankees’ hottest hitters. In his last 41 games, he’s hit .288 with 10 homers and 23 RBI.

“It’s hard sometimes when you go from a new team to New York and there’s a lot of expectations, man,” he said. “And people are expecting you to hit a homer every single game and sometimes when you go 0-for-4, sometimes you feel like you have to do more.”

Stanton is in the third season of his 13-year, $325-million deal.

Beltran was traded from the Yankees at the 2016 deadline.

“I do believe that, first month or two, you’re getting used to it, but once you feel comfortable and you know your environment, he’s going to feel much, much better,” he said.

Beltran, who retired after winning the World Series with the Astros last year, said he thought the Yankees could win a championship this season.

“t the end of the day, I do feel like they have a great team and also I love Gleyber Torres at second base,” Beltran said. “I think that the team looks real, real good and the future is extremely bright.”

Brendan Kuty may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.