Mattingly: Stanton will bat leadoff in season finale amid 60-HR chase
Giancarlo Stanton will get as many chances as possible to reach 60 home runs this season.
The Miami Marlins outfielder was left stuck at 59 homers following the team's 10-2 win over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday. Manager Don Mattingly will now give him all the at-bats he can in the last game of the season Sunday, announcing Stanton will bat leadoff for game No. 162.
"(Stanton) is going to leadoff tomorrow ... I told him I was going to lead him off after the game, but first, 'I want to make sure you want to play.' You never know, right?" Mattingly said postgame, courtesy of FOX Sports Florida.
Mattingly had said earlier Saturday that he was considering giving the slugger leadoff duties in the final games of the season to offer him a better shot at 60 homers.
Stanton has never started in the leadoff role in his entire eight-year career. This season, the Marlins have predominantly used the 27-year-old in the No. 2 spot where he's been penciled in for 109 games. He has also batted fourth in 35 games, his next most frequent position in the order.
Stanton needs just one more home run to become the ninth player in major-league history to hit 60 or more in a season.