Giancarlo Stanton




I didn't see Giancarlo Stanton with the Marlins back in March, as he was playing for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. So with Miami visiting the Mets at Citi Field Friday night, I wanted to take a good long look at one of baseball's brightest young stars. Stanton made headlines over the winter by sharply criticizing Miami's owner Jeffrey Loria after he purged the club of the high-priced talent he imported just a year earlier -- in a failed attempt to build a winning team as its pricey new domed stadium opened.

 His big moment came in the top of the 9th inning when he smacked a line-drive double to left field. Stanton took third base on a throw home that nailed Placido Polanco and later scored on Justin Ruggiano's single -- an insurance run that helped Miami hold on for a 7 - 5 win on what turned into a bitterly cold night.

(Click on either of the smaller pictures on the right to enlarge them.)

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