New York Baseball

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Giancarlo Stanton says he considers 61 as the true home run record

Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton has been on an absolute tear since the All-Star break. He’s hit six home runs in the past seven games. And with over a month remaining in the MLB season, Stanton has 44 home runs, which puts him on pace to hit 60.

Obviously, home-run pace fluctuates, but whenever the prospect of 60 home runs comes up, it begs questions about the true single-season homer record. Barry Bonds hit 73 home runs in 2001, breaking the already controversial marks set by Mark McGwire (70) and Sammy Sosa (66) in 1998. But for Stanton, he’s aiming at Roger Maris’ 61 home runs.

Stanton spoke about the record to the Sun Sentinel, and he acknowledged that Bonds holds the actual record before admitting that he really thinks it should be 61.

“But at the same time it doesn’t matter. The record is the record. But, personally, I do [think 61 is the record].”

He continued:

“You grow up watching [the movie] ‘Sandlot.’ You grow up watching those films of Babe Ruth and [Mickey] Mantle and these guys and 61 always been that printed number as a kid.”

No player has broken the 60-homer threshold since the “Steroid Era” of the 90s and early 2000s. In all likelihood, Stanton won’t approach 73 home runs this year, but if he does break 61, it will certainly fuel an MLB debate about Steroid Era records that has already kept suspected PED users out of the Hall of Fame.

Yet, as Stanton admitted, he wants to wait before giving the record much thought.

“Come back when I get to 59,’’ he said. “I’m taking it one at a time.”

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2017/08/giancarlo-stanton-61-home-run-record-bonds-maris-mlb-marlins