Stanton's bid for 60 reaches final game
Slugger takes RBI lead at 131; Gordon gets his 200th hit.
MIAMI— Giancarlo Stanton remained at 59 home runs after failing to hit one in the Miami Marlins’ 10-2 win over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday night.
Stanton had one hit in five at-bats and an RBI, his major league-leading 131st. That’s one more than Colorado’s Nolan Arenado has.
Stanton has today’s season finale to become the fifirst player to hit 60 home runs in a season since 2001, when Barry Bonds hit 73 and Sammy Sosa hit 64. There have been five players in history to hit at least 60 in a season.
Miami’s Dee Gordon had three hits, giving him 200 for the season, and stole two bases— including his 60th of the season. It is the fififth time in Marlins history a player has recorded at least 200 hits in a season and the second time by Gordon.
Derek Dietrich hit a three run homer, Miguel Rojas had four hits, Brian Anderson added three hits, and Odri Despaigne (2-3) pitched seven innings and allowed two runs. Despaigne struck out six and walked one.
Braves starter Lucas Sims (3-6) allowed six runs in two innings, allowing every position player he faced to reach base except for Stanton, who grounded out twice.
Sims allowed a hit to the fifirst batter he faced as Gordon doubled and came around to score on Justin Bour’s sacrifice fly.
Miami kept that inning going with Diet rich’ s homer, a shot just inside the foul pole in right field. Miguel Rojas capped the five-run rally with an RBI triple.
Anderson hit a run- scoring double, giving Miami a 6-0 lead in the second. Miami stretched its lead to 8-0 in the fifth, getting RBI singles from Stanton and Christian Yelich.
Atlanta fifinally scored in the seventh, getting RBI singles from Dansby Swanson and Matt Adams.
Miami’s Tyler Moore closed the scoring with a two-run single in the eighth.
RBI kings: Stanton (131) and Marcell Ozuna (122) are the fifirst major league teammates to each have more than 120 RBIs in the same season since 2005. Stanton ranks first and Ozuna third in the majors.
The last teammates to finish in the top three were David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez in 2005.
Given a choice of home runs, batting average or RBIs, three traditional statistics that have been around for generations, Ozuna said the one that is most signifificant to him is the RBI.
“Everybody can do homers,” said Ozuna, who has hit 36 this season. “But RBIs are hard to do. RBIs show you are producing for the team.”
Both Stanton and Ozuna have eclipsed the previous Marlins single-season RBI record of 121, set in 2000 by Preston Wilson.
Ozuna was ecstatic Friday following the Marlins’ 6-5 victory over the Braves, a game inwhich he drove in three runs to pass the 120RBI barrier. “I’m proud of him and me,” Ozuna said of Stanton. “We’ve worked together to do good.”
Honors: Stanton was voted MVP of the Marlins by the Miami chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
Other year-end awards: J.T. Realmuto was named the winner of the Jeffff Conine Award, givento a player who exemplifies the spirit and determination of the former Marlin.
Jarlin Garcia won the Jose Fernandez Rookie of the Year honor. Garcia leads the staffff with 68 appearances.
Miguel Rojas was named the winner of the Charlie Hough “Good Guy” Award, given to a player who fosters a positive relationship with the media.