Baseball: Giancarlo Stanton comes back to Southern California to win home run derby

Giancarlo Stanton, a graduate of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High, gladly agreed to participate in major league baseball’s home run derby at Petco Park in San Diego on Monday night. He never turns down a trip to the West Coast.

Then the Miami Marlins outfielder went out and amazed people with his power, winning the competition. He knocked off defending champion Todd Frazier in the final, hitting 20 home runs. It was a tough task for Stanton considering he had to go first in each of his three competitions, which is a disadvantage. He had 61 home runs on the night, a record for the derby.

But he kept hitting balls out of the park and for distance.

“Wow,” his high school coach, Tom Dill, said while watching on TV. “That is absolutely amazing. On that stage to hit that many when you’re exhausted is unbelievable.”

“I had a blast,” Stanton said.

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