Stanton sets Marlins' mark with 43rd homer

MIAMI -- Hours after being named National League Player of the Week, Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton took another step towards being the Player of the Month, and he set a franchise record in the process.
Stanton belted a two-run home run off Ty Blach in the first inning on Monday night in the Marlins' 8-3 win over the Giants. Now with 43, the 27-year-old passed Gary Sheffield's mark of 42 that stood for 21 years.
• Stanton is on pace for home run absurdity
"It's been an amazing little run, that's for sure," manager Don Mattingly said. "You always like to be around when guys are doing special things, and seeing things like that. This game always seems to have something. Somebody is breaking a record or doing something no one else has done, even when it's within an organization. You always like being around and seeing guys who are having that kind of success."

Sheffield had 42 in 1996, and Stanton has roared past that benchmark by going on a remarkable, and historic home run barrage. He has homered in five straight games, setting another team record. The only other MLB player this year to go deep in five consecutive games is Eric Thames of the Brewers, who did it from April 13-17.
Stanton faces a stiff test on Tuesday against Giants ace Madison Bumgarner (2-5, 2.71 ERA). Bumgarner entered having yielded just one long ball over his past 26 innings.
• Stanton on pace for 60-HR '17
The way Stanton was going, he figured breaking Sheffield's record was realistic. But even the slugger is surprised that he did so this quickly.

"This quickly, no," Stanton said. "But that I could do it, for sure. But this fast, I wouldn't have envisioned that."
The roll Stanton is on is mind-numbing -- 10 in 11 games and 22 in 34 games. He also has 10 home runs in August.
Stanton's father, Mike, made the trip from California to be on hand to see the record-setting home run.
"That was really cool," Stanton said. "He told me late last night that he was going to come. I didn't fully put two and two together that he didn't want to let another game go by that I might hit it. He barely made the first at-bat, too, so that's it."
Postgame, the Marlins' players had Stanton get into a laundry basket, and they wheeled him around the clubhouse.
"We did a nice little toast and then they threw everything on me that's in this clubhouse in the shower," Stanton said. "I did fit in the basket. I was surprised."

As impressive as Stanton has been smashing mammoth homers, Monday's shot was rather pedestrian. Statcast™ projected it to travel 382 feet with an exit velocity of 95.1 mph.
Since Statcast™ was introduced in 2015, that is the softest home run Stanton has hit. His previous low was 96.1 mph on Aug. 7, 2016, at Coors Field.
Regardless of how hard he hits them, they all count the same, and Stanton was all smiles after greeting his teammates in the dugout.
The rest of the Marlins are feeding off Stanton's energy, and happy to see him enjoying the moment.
"He's that good," second baseman Dee Gordon said. "He's one of the best players in the game. And he's healthy. He's killing people. He was averaging like 35 homers and he didn't even play 150 games those years. For him to be able to play this whole year is pretty cool."