Fact: Giancarlo Stanton had his ninth multi-home run game of the season in the Miami Marlins' 8-6 win over the San Diego Padres on Friday night. His nine multi-home run games are the most in a single season since Jose Bautista had nine such games in 2010. </s> Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton struggled to remember a bigger home run from his eight-year career than the two-run shot he hit in the eighth inning of Sunday’s 6-2 win over the Padres.

“It’s got to be up there with the best,” Stanton said after becoming the first National League player to hit 50 home runs in a season since Prince Fielder in 2007. “My career high, it put us up, gave us a sweep. Pretty good things all around it.”

Stanton joined Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Roger Maris and Luis Gonzalez as the only players to hit 50 home runs before the end of August. Bonds hit home run No. 50 on Aug. 11 in 2001, the year he set the single-season record with 73 home runs. Stanton has been on a tear all month; his 17 home runs in August are one shy of the major league record, set by Detroit’s Rudy York in 1937. Stanton’s previous career high for home runs in a season before this year was 37, which he accomplished twice, most recently in 2014.

The crowd of 23,725 at Marlins Park serenaded Stanton with chants of “M-V-P! M-V-P!” after he hit home run No. 50.

“It’s pretty cool,” said Stanton, who is 13 home runs ahead of the Yankees’ Aaron Judge for the major league lead and tied the Rockies’ Nolan Arenado for the most RBI (108) in baseball with three more Sunday.

“They’re a bit early, but it’s cool they’re acknowledging and showing love like that,” Stanton said. “I really appreciate it.”

Stanton’s power surge since the all-star break has helped get the Marlins back in the playoff race. Miami, which hasn’t been to the postseason since 2003, has won 13 of its last 16 and ended Sunday 4½ games back of the Rockies for the National League’s second wild-card spot.

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Rally Cat clawed his way into our hearts, but he won’t be going to the Cardinals </s> (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee). San Diego Padres' Clayton Richard delivers a pitch during the first inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017, in Miami.

(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee). Miami Marlins' Dan Straily delivers a pitch during the first inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017, in Miami.

(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee). Miami Marlins' Dee Gordon, left, celebrates with Christian Yelich (21) after Gordon scored on a double by Giancarlo Stanton during the third inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017, in Miami.

MIAMI (AP) - Giancarlo Stanton hit his 50th home run to break an eighth-inning tie, helping the Miami Marlins sweep the San Diego Padres with a 6-2 victory on Sunday.

Stanton became the first National League player to reach 50 homers since Prince Fielder hit 50 for Milwaukee in 2007. Stanton's 17th homer in August tied him for the second-most in MLB history in the month, behind Rudy York's 18 in 1937.

With the score 2-all, Dee Gordon singled to lead off the eighth. Stanton then drove a 2-1 pitch from Clayton Richard (6-13) into the hedge in center field.

The milestone earned Stanton a curtain call from the crowd of 23,725. Fans roars as he celebrated with teammates after returning to the dugout, and he climbed to the top step and waved his batting helmet toward the stands.

Stanton also walked, doubled home a run and singled in four plate appearances, hiking his average to .296. He increased his RBI total to 108, a career high.

After Stanton's tiebreaking drive, Christian Yelich hit his first triple of the year and continued home on a throwing error, ending Richard's outing. Derek Dietrich then homered off Carter Capps.

The Marlins' three-game sweep and fourth consecutive victory overall gave them 13 wins in the past 16 games. They swept a series from the Padres for the first time since 2012.

Dan Straily, Kyle Barraclough (5-1) and two other pitchers combined on a seven-hitter. San Diego's only runs came on Richard's two-run homer, which barely cleared the 335-foot sign next to the right field foul pole. His only other homer came in 2012.

Gordon reached on a two-out bunt single in the third for Miami's first hit, and scored when Stanton doubled into the right-field corner. Stanton came home on a wild pitch.

Straily gave up two runs in six innings and pitched out of several jams.

A bizarre baserunning mistake helped Straily escape in the fourth. With two out and a runner on first, Jabari Blash hit a popup that first baseman Tyler Moore allowed to drop for a single. When Blash took a wide turn, second baseman Dee Gordon scrambled for the ball and threw behind him to catcher A.J. Ellis, who tagged the runner out.

Padres: RHP Jhoulys Chacin (11-9, 4.10 ERA) starts Monday in the opener of a three-game series against San Francisco. Chacin is 3-0 with a 3.04 ERA in four starts against the Giants this year. RHP Jeff Samardzija (8-12, 4.67 ERA) pitches for visiting San Francisco.

Marlins: RHP Jose Urena (12-5, 3.68 ERA) gets the ball Monday in the opener of a three-game set at NL East-leading Washington.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> MIAMI -- Giancarlo Stanton hit his 50th home run to break an eighth-inning tie, helping the Marlins sweep the San Diego Padres with a 6-2 victory Sunday.

Stanton became the first National League player to reach 50 homers since Prince Fielder hit 50 for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2007.

Stanton's 17th homer in August tied him for the second-most in MLB history in the month, behind Rudy York's 18 in 1937.

With the score tied at 2, Dee Gordon singled to lead off the eighth. Stanton then drove a 2-1 pitch from Clayton Richard (6-13) into the hedge in center field.

The milestone earned Stanton a curtain call from the crowd of 23,725. Fans roars as he celebrated with teammates after returning to the dugout, and he climbed to the top step and waved his batting helmet toward the stands.

That prompted chants of "M-V-P! M-V-P!"

Stanton also walked, doubled home a run and singled in four plate appearances, hiking his batting average to .296. He increased his RBI total to 108, a career high.

After Stanton's tiebreaking drive, Christian Yelich hit his first triple of the year and continued home on a throwing error, ending Richard's outing. Derek Dietrich then homered off Carter Capps.

The Marlins' three-game sweep and fourth consecutive victory overall gave them 13 wins in the past 16 games. They swept a series from the Padres for the first time since 2012.

Dan Straily, Jarlin Garcia, Kyle Barraclough (5-1) and Brad Ziegler combined on a seven-hitter. San Diego's only runs came on Richard's two-run homer, which barely cleared the 335-foot sign next to the right-field foul pole. His only other homer came in 2012.

Gordon reached on a two-out bunt single in the third for Miami's first hit and scored when Stanton doubled into the right-field corner. Stanton came home on a wild pitch.

Straily gave up two runs in six innings and pitched out of several jams.

OOPS

A bizarre baserunning mistake helped Straily escape in the fourth. With two outs and a runner on first, Jabari Blash hit a popup that first baseman Tyler Moore allowed to drop for a single. When Blash took a wide turn, Gordon scrambled for the ball and threw behind him to catcher A.J. Ellis, who tagged the runner out.

UP NEXT

Padres: RHP Jhoulys Chacin (11-9, 4.10 ERA) starts Monday in the opener of a three-game series against San Francisco. Chacin is 3-0 with a 3.04 ERA in four starts against the Giants this year. RHP Jeff Samardzija (8-12, 4.67 ERA) pitches for visiting San Francisco.

Marlins: RHP Jose Urena (12-5, 3.68 ERA) gets the ball Monday in the opener of a three-game set at NL East-leading Washington. </s> Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton has always been known for his immense power, but he’s never done this before. With his home run during Sunday’s game, Stanton became the first player to hit 50 home runs since 2013. He did it before the end of August.

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The milestone occurred in the eighth inning. With Clayton Richard on the mound, Stanton belted a 2-1 slider to center for the go-ahead two-run shot. Thanks to Stanton, the Marlins would go on to defeat the San Diego Padres 6-2.

Stanton’s hit marks the 44th time in Major League Baseball history a player has reached the 50-home run mark. The last player to accomplish the feat was Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis, who hit 53 home runs in 2013.

The hit extends Stanton’s lead in homers this season. He now has a 13 home run lead over New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge. Judge has hit 37 bombs. When the Home Run Derby participants were announced, Judge led baseball with 27 dingers. Stanton sat at 21 home runs.

Since then, Stanton has been on an absolute tear. Over the past 45 games, Stanton has hit an incredible .341/.450/.910, with 28 home runs. That doesn’t include Sunday’s numbers, when he went 3-for-3, with another home run. Every part of Stanton’s stat line increased during Sunday’s game.

It’s probably time to point out Stanton’s recent stretch has vaulted the Marlins into the wild card race, and Stanton into MVP consideration. The Marlins are now 66-63. They were 41-46 at the All-Star break. They have cut their wild card deficit in half over that period. Miami is now 4.5 games out of the second National League wild card spot.

Stanton, meanwhile, is tied for second in the NL in fWAR. After Sunday’s performance, he may pass Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt for sole possession of second. Goldschmidt, however, did add a home run of his own Sunday, so the race may remain tied for now.

Both players trail Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon, who has notched a 5.8 fWAR this season. Rendon hasn’t received much attention, most likely because he’s a strong contributor in every aspect of the game. He doesn’t have an eye-popping home run number like Stanton, but his .302/.405./548 slash line, with 22 home runs and excellent defense, is impressive.

Based on how Stanton is playing, that might not matter. The gap is already close, and Stanton may continue to inch closer to the lead if he continues to hit like this.

Following Sunday, Stanton is on pace for 63 home runs. That number would make it tough for voters to go in another direction unless Rendon really pulls away over the next couple weeks. If Stanton can get there, he would tie Sammy Sosa for the sixth most home runs in a single season. He would be 10 off Barry Bonds’ record of 73, which he set back in 2001.

To point out the incredibly obvious, Giancarlo Stanton is really good. Considering that he just reached the 50-home run mark in August, he’s likely the frontrunner for NL MVP, even though there’s a legitimate argument for Rendon.

With that seeming likely, Stanton now has to finish the job and lead the Marlins to the postseason. While there’s still a long way for the team to go, it’s pretty tough to say anything is impossible after Stanton carried them into contention over the past two months.

Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik </s> The Miami Marlins outfielder slugged his 50th(!) home run of the season Sunday in the bottom of the eighth inning against the San Diego Padres. The two-run bomb was a straight shot to center field and gave the Marlins the lead in their eventual 6-2 win. Your browser does not support iframes.

It’s the 44th time a player has enjoyed a 50-home run season, and Stanton is the 28th to do it. Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis was the last person to accomplish the feat when he hit 53 in 2013.

Stanton has hit a whopping 17 home runs in 25 games in August. The Marlins still have 33 games left, so if he keeps it up, he could become the first player to reach 60 since Sammy Sosa did it in 2001. </s> Adrian Beltre has gotten his 3,000th career hit, becoming the first player from the Dominican Republic to reach the milestone and 31st major leaguer overall.

The 38-year-old Texas Rangers third baseman made history with his double down the left-field line on a 3-0 pitch in the fourth inning Sunday against Baltimore lefty Wade Miley. Beltre struck out swinging in his first at-bat of the game.

Beltre is in his 20th big league season. He hit the mark only minutes after former Rangers catcher Ivan Rodriguez finished his induction speech at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Barring unusual circumstances, getting 3,000 hits has traditionally been a ticket to the Hall.

The only other current active player in the 3,000-hit club is Miami Marlins outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, who began the day tied with Hall of Fame player Craig Biggio for 22nd all-time at 3,060. </s> Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols became the 32nd player in Major League Baseball history to register 3,000 hits when he laced a single off Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Mike Leake in the 5th inning of Friday's game.

Pujols is the first player to join the 3,000-hit club since Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre did so last July. His accomplishment also means a player has made his way into the exclusive fraternity four years in a row.

Alex Rodriguez registered his 3,000th hit with a solo home run versus the Detroit Tigers in 2015, while Ichiro Suzuki reached the plateau when he ripped a triple against the Colorado Rockies in 2016.

"To get to that number is going to be really special. It's something you don't aim for or focus on, but when you're this close, you're like, 'Wow, that's a lot of hits,'" Pujols told ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick.

An 18-year veteran, Pujols is also looking to become the fourth player in MLB history with at least 600 career home runs, 3,000 hits and 2,000 RBI. The other three are Rodriguez, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays.

"If you had told me 17 years ago when I was drafted by the Cardinals that I would have had a career like this, I would have laughed at you in the face," Pujols said, per USA Today's Bob Nightengale. "What a journey I've had.

"And you know what, it's not over yet."

While Pujols pursues more milestones in the months ahead, Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera and Seattle Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano will set their sights on trying to become the next members of the 3,000-hit club.

Cabrera is sitting on 2,666 hits, while Cano has registered 2,408 with plenty more to come, in his estimation.

"I know if I stay healthy, and I can play for the next six years healthy, I can do it," Cano said, according to the Associated Press' Stephen Hawkins. "But I know there are too many hits left. I don't think, 'I've got to get there.' I go step by step and play this season and see how it goes, and play the next and see how it goes and see how close you get." </s> SEATTLE — Albert Pujols has become the 32nd player in major league history to reach 3,000 hits, getting a broken-bat single to right field off Seattle’s Mike Leake in the fifth inning to join the exclusive club.

Pujols dumped the single into shallow right field on his sixth attempt to reach the mark after getting to 2,999. He received a standing ovation from the crowd in Seattle and was given the baseball as a memento. His teammates all greeted Pujols on the field before action resume.

Pujols nearly got the mark in the first inning, but his hard liner was right at shortstop Jean Segura. Pujols walked on a 3-2 pitch leading off the fourth inning after fouling off four two-strike pitches.

The 38-year-old Pujols joined Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Alex Rodriguez as the fourth player in baseball history with 3,000 hits and 600 homers. He’s the first player to reach the mark since Adrian Beltre last year against Baltimore.
Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins becomes the newest member of the 50 home run club, reaching the milestone during the Marlins' 6–2 win over the San Diego Padres.