Giancarlo Stanton’s career flashed before his eyes.
Stanton was struck in the face by a Mike Fiers pitch during a Sept. 11 game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. The beanball left Stanton banged up, but the Miami Marlins slugger also came away from the scary incident with a new perspective.
“I realized that in general,” Stanton told Yahoo! Sports’ Tim Brown over the weekend of the notion there are no guarantees in this world. “But you never really realize it until it’s right there.
“If anything, it’s made me more aware of my original beliefs in life and the game. I’ve got more of a pure emphasis on it now. You understand how things can happen.”
The beaning cut short Stanton’s fantastic 2014 season, in which he hit .288 with 37 homers, 105 RBIs and a .950 OPS in 145 games. The sky obviously is the limit for Stanton, a two-time All-Star who turns 25 next month, and he doesn’t plan to enter next season with any doubts despite his brush with disaster.
“No, no, no,” Stanton told Brown with a smile when asked if he’ll have any hesitation moving forward. “There’s no exceptions in that. If there is any doubt, you get that taken care of in spring training. I’ll play every day if I have to.”
Stanton, who still feels some occasional pain when chewing, said he now plans to wear a face guard when batting. The outfielder suffered fairly substantial damage, but his vision wasn’t impacted, and things are looking up with Opening Day a little more than five months away.
“I feel great,” Stanton said. “It’s a lot better than I thought it was going to be.”
Photo via Benny Sieu/USA TODAY Sports Images
