Giancarlo Stanton put on a show for the ages Monday night in San Diego, sending a record 61 baseballs over the fence at Petco Park to win the 2016 MLB Home Run Derby.
The Miami Marlins outfielder bashed 24 homers in a quarterfinal rout of Robinson Cano, 17 in the semis to knock off Mark Trumbo (who more than held his own and was the only player to hit a ball off the left field video board) and another 20 in the finals to eliminate defending champ Todd Frazier.
Stanton also had the eight longest home runs of the evening and 20 of the longest 21.
It was an awe-inspiring performance to say the least, and even Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz, a former Derby champ himself, couldn’t believe what he was watching.
“What you saw right there,” Ortiz said while being interview by ESPN’s broadcast team during the competition, “that ain’t human.”
The retiring Red Sox star also coined a new nickname for Stanton: “the Human Avatar.”
Ortiz has participated in five Home Run Derbies and won one (in 2010), but he opted out of Monday’s competition, saying during the ESPN broadcast that the timed format, which was introduced last year, isn’t suited for a 40-year-old like himself. Ortiz is, however, expected to play in Tuesday’s All-Star Game.
Thumbnail photo via Jake Roth/USA TODAY Sports Images
