Giancarlo Stanton has put on a show this year that Major League Baseball hasn’t seen since the Barry Bonds era. After bashing his league-leading 51st home run Tuesday night, Stanton now has a reasonable shot to break the “unquestioned” home run record of 61, held by Roger Maris before the Steroid Era.
However it’s the true, (at least according to the records books) holder of the single-season home run record that has continued to mentor Stanton. According to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald, Stanton is thankful for former hitting coach Barry Bonds’ support and praised him for his encouragement.
“Barry’s been huge for me,” Stanton said. “We talk all the time. He’s guided me along this year.”
Although Stanton won’t admit whether he believes the record is 61 or Bonds’ 73, he did acknowledge that Bonds motivates each him each day, telling him, “you’re going to get less pitches to hit, you’ve got to be ready for them, stuff like that.”