The Miami Marlins Giancarlo Stanton literally turned the vast dimensions of San Diego’s Petco Park into the neighborhood little league field with a munificent display of power Monday in winning the 2016 MLB All-Star Game Home Run Derby.
Stanton’s 61 taters under a brilliant west coast sunshine would have tied Roger Maris for the most home runs in a season prior to the steroid and performance enhancing drug (PED) era. The blasts were the most hit in a derby, shattering the record of 41 crafted by Bobby Abreu in 2005. The Marlin’s powerful first baseman cemented his crown with 20 homers in the final round to defeat runner-up Todd Frazier of the White Sox. Stanton, who endured major struggles at the beginning of the season at the plate, had a strong June and helped propel the Marlins into relevance. Stanton’s longest blast traveled 497 feet.
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