Giants set one home run record, take aim at 2001 team mark

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DENVER -- At some point this weekend, the Giants are likely to break the franchise record for home runs in a season, which is remarkable for a lot of reasons, including how they will get to 235 homers. 

The 2001 team set that previous mark, but they kind of had a cheat code: Barry Bonds hit a record 73 homers that year. The 2021 team is going to do it with a far more balanced approach, and in fact, it's a historically balanced approach. The Giants quietly have already set an MLB record in that respect. 

When Tommy La Stella hit his fifth homer of the year on the last homestand, he became the 17th different Giant to hit at least five out of the park this season. That broke a record held by the 2019 Seattle Mariners. 

This Giants team gets power from different players every day, with the 17 five-homer players shattering the previous franchise mark of 13. They also have the most 10-homer hitters (10) and 15-homer hitters (seven) in franchise history, and both of those groups could get bigger. 

With nine games left, Evan Longoria (13) and Alex Dickerson (13) could reach 15, and Steven Duggar (eight) could hit double-digits for the first time. With a huge finish, Kris Bryant, who has 25 total and seven with the Giants, could also reach double-digits in orange and black. 

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The power is spread up and down the roster, which is unusual for homer-heavy teams this year. Brandon Belt leads the way with 26, but that's just 23rd in the National League. The Toronto Blue Jays are the only team with more homers (242) than the Giants, but they have gotten 46 from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and 41 from Marcus Semien. The Atlanta Braves are right behind the Giants in the NL at 228, but they have three players -- Austin Riley, Freddie Freeman and Ozzie Albies -- at 30 already.

The Giants have distributed it far more evenly, and that approach has them poised to shatter the franchise record that the Bonds-led team set. They already are second in franchise history for homers in a season, and they need just five to tie the previous mark. They could get that done this weekend at Coors Field, where they have homered 13 times in six games this season.

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