MIAMI (AP) – Giancarlo Stanton hit his 50th home run to break an eighth-inning tie, helping the Miami Marlins sweep the San Diego Padres with a 6-2 victory on Sunday.
Stanton became the first National League player to reach 50 homers since Prince Fielder hit 50 for Milwaukee in 2007. Stanton’s 17th homer in August tied him for the second-most in MLB history in the month, behind Rudy York’s 18 in 1937.
With the score 2-all, Dee Gordon singled to lead off the eighth. Stanton then drove a 2-1 pitch from Clayton Richard (6-13) into the hedge in center field.
The milestone earned Stanton a curtain call from the crowd of 23,725. Fans roars as he celebrated with teammates after returning to the dugout, and he climbed to the top step and waved his batting helmet toward the stands.
That prompted chants of “M-V-P! M-V-P!”