Giancarlo Stanton has a Night to Remember (Video)

The atmosphere was different at Marlins Park last night then it usually is. It could have been for a number of reasons. Miami was coming off of a series win against the Cincinnati Reds, a team that is always in the mix in the N.L. Central. They were beginning a 9 game homestand that is of the utmost importance if the Fish are going to stay alive in the playoff chase.

It could have been because the St. Louis Cardinals were in town, and their fans are always certain to make their presence known.

Whatever the reason, their was something in the air last night. I don’t know if Giancarlo Stanton felt it, but you can be sure that the fans felt it after Stanton’s first at bat of the night. In case you missed it, here it is.

That two-run shot was only the beginning of what was a magical night for the slugger. Miami would need every play that Stanton would make on the evening, and he made plenty. After staking the Fish to an early 2-0 lead, Stanton came up again in bottom of the 3rd inning.

This wasn’t just your typical run of the mill home run. This was an absolute bomb to left-center field. Any time you one hop the windows in Marlins Park to the right of the Budweiser stand, you know you have done something that few others can do.

With the Marlins up 3-0 it looked as if the night was prime for a blowout, but the Cardinals had other ideas. In a dizzying span of 5 batters, they tied up the game against Tom Koehler who did his best to protect the lead. Miami was fortunate enough to tack on a couple of more runs and enter the top of the 5th inning with a 5-3 lead. That led to Giancarlo Stanton demonstrating why he isn’t just a one trick pony, and should be mentioned in every MVP discussion this season.

That catch was one that should go on Stanton’s all-time highlight real. Just an absolute thing of beauty as he dove away from the infield and on to the warning track. If I was the Marlins front office, I would have walked down into the clubhouse after the game with a check and asked “how much do you want?” and wrote it right there on the spot. He deserves every penny that he is going to get from some team in the near future.

The Marlins went on to win the game 6-5. They needed every play that Stanton made on a night that the Marlins showed that they weren’t giving up on the playoffs just yet.