Sometimes scheduling works... and sometimes you have to force the issue. As a season fueled in part by the home run heroics of Aaron Judge of Cody Bellinger passed the three-quarters mark, I realized I hadn't yet been able to catch Giancarlo Stanton in action. The Marlins three visits to New York hadn't dovetailed right with my schedule -- but I had one last, long-shot opportunity. Miami was set for a single-admission doubleheader Tuesday night in Philadelphia. What we used to call a twi-nighter, gave Dennis and me the chance to see the game's number-one power source in action. And he did not disappoint. Top of the 7th inning, the Marlins up by 3, thanks for Ichiro's pinch hit homer. Stanton speared an Aaron Nola pitch sending it into the right field seats. His 13th home run so far this month. Number 46 on the season.
Pro-rate that total for the entire season, and the Miami slugger could be on his way to matching Babe Ruth's 60 or Roger Maris' 61, the "people's record."
That was one of nine home runs in the opener -- besides the two mentioned above, J.T. Realmuto and Marcell Ozuna cleared the fences. And the Phillies crushed five of their own in the Marlins 12 - 8 victory. But Stanton was the big draw; as he chases history in 2017, I can happily say I captured part of it.
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