Giancarlo Stanton Possesses Chance at Home Run History in Final Day of August

Miami Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton added to his home run total Tuesday, smacking his 51st of the season in the first inning of the contest off Washington Nationals starter Edwin Jackson.

Although he didn't add to that total during Wednesday's affair, he has another chance to do so before August runs out. In addition to Stanton's 51 for the season, he's barreled up 18 balls in the month of August alone. Should he add two more to that total Thursday, the slugging right fielder would tie Sammy Sosa for the most long balls in a single month in MLB history, per Sportsnet Stats. Sosa cranked 20 homers in June of 1998.

Stanton's 18 currently places him in a tie with Rudy York, who accomplished the same feat in August of 1937 as a member of the Detroit Tigers, per Baseball Reference. Sosa—who sits alone atop the leaderboard—reached his 20-homer tally in just 27 games, while Stanton would require 29 to equal that number.

Although Stanton is unlikely to challenge Barry Bonds for the single-season home run record in 2017, he does have a chance at moving as high as third on the list (Sammy Sosa with 66) with a strong September showing.

Stanton's chance at history comes Thursday as the Marlins open up a four-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies. He will square off initially against pitcher Ben Lively, who has allowed eight home runs in nine starts this season.