Where did Giancarlo Stanton's homer on Saturday rank among the longest of his career?
A previous verison of this post ran on May 6, 2016.
On Saturday night,
Stanton's massive dingers are so phenomenal, it's even hard for Stanton to outdo himself. They're so unbelievable that there's a growing faction of truthers who believe Stanley Kubrick faked the footage on the soundstage in Phoenix. Without further ado, here are the 10 longest homers of his career. (Other than the one above. Consider yourself lucky -- this list secretly goes to 11.)
Date: 8/11/2014
Opponent: Cardinals
Pitcher:
Broadcaster description: "Titanic."
Comment(s): Somehow this isn't the longest home run Stanton's hit at Marlins Park, but, man, it sure feels like it, doesn't it? That ball was in space so long that Ridley Scott is making a movie about it. The broadcasters couldn't even contain themselves.
Date: 5/15/2015
Opponent: Braves
Pitcher:
Broadcaster description: "He blasted it into oblivion."
Comment(s): As if the distance wasn't enough to gawk at, this was Stanton's second homer of the game, and tied the score at 3, effectively improving the Marlins' chance at winning the game by 24 percent. On top of all of that, Stanton pulled a rabbit out of his hat by making the homer disappear into the center-field camera well. That kind of accuracy at a Home Run Derby could win somebody a house one day.
Date: 8/15/2011
Opponent: Rockies
Pitcher: Kevin Millwood
Broadcaster description: "Oh, mile high."
Comment(s): Do you even remember way back when Stanton went by "Mike?" It feels like an eternity ago because Stanton's monstrous dingers have become such a staple in today's game. But that was only five years ago when Stanton was just 21 years old.
Date: 5/12/2015
Opponent: Dodgers
Pitcher:
Broadcaster description: "Absolutely crushed."
Comment(s): Stanton is so strong that you can't stop him, you can only hope to contain him, and Dodger Stadium fell short of that lofty goal when Stanton teed off on a pitch from Bolsinger and launched a dinger clear out of the park. Willie Stargell (twice), Mike Piazza and Mark McGwire are the only other players to accomplish such a feat.
Date: 6/5/2015
Opponent: Rockies
Pitcher:
Broadcaster description: "[Laughter]"
Comment(s): You know how you could tell this one was a no-doubter? Well, besides the sound it made off the bat ... Butler didn't even turn around to see it leave the park. In 17 career games at Coors Field, Stanton has crushed eight dingers (and hit .328 with an OPS of 1.221 to boot).
Date: 5/16/2015
Opponent: Braves
Pitcher:
Broadcaster description: "A long blast ..."
Comment(s): More impressive than Stanton's 478-foot 115-mph blast -- and even more impressive than the fact that it was his third homer in his previous 12 innings played -- was that a fan caught frozen rope with his bare hand:
Glove? He don't need no stinkin' glove.
Date: 6/23/2015
Opponent: Cardinals
Pitcher:
Brodcaster description: "Wow."
Comment(s): We'd say that the fans on the Budweiser Balcony probably weren't expecting to get in on the action, but Stanton plays his home games there and this isn't the first time he's sent a lucky fan home with a souvenir. Basically, if you're between the foul poles at Marlins Park, you'd better bring your glove.
Date: 4/4/2014
Opponent: Padres
Pitcher:
Broadcaster description: "A rocket!"
Comment(s): This is the longest home run in Marlins Park history. Period.
Date: 8/17/2012
Opponent: Rockies
Pitcher:
Broadcaster description: "HAMMERED!"
Comment(s): This is the second longest home run in the history of Coors Field. Only Mike Piazza's 496-footer from Sept. 1997 outpaced this moonshot. Of the 10 longest home runs in the history of Coors Field, Stanton's is the only one to have been hit in the last 13 seasons.
Date: 8/6/2016
Opponent: Rockies
Pitcher:
Broadcast description: "... oh boy. That's gone."
Comment(s): Petition to allow Giancarlo Stanton to hold a Home Run Derby at Coors Field once a week. That laser beam was the longest home run in the history of Coors Field, surpassing Piazza's blast -- and according to Statcast, he did it with a launch angle of just 18 degrees.
