The immediate aftermath of Giancarlo Stanton being hit in the face by a pitch from Mike Fiers on Sept. 11 was gruesome. Yet as terrible as the injury was, it could have been so much worse. Stanton has even entertained thoughts of returning to play this season, though that seems extremely unlikely.
In the five days since the incident, Stanton is apparently happy enough with his progress to share a photo of himself on Instagram. However, he placed the most recent photo side-by-side with a shot of himself in the hospital immediately after the injury. As we established, that’s pretty gruesome.
So be warned: The “before” in the before-and-after photos Stanton posted is graphic. But it will make you appreciate just how much the Marlins outfielder has progressed since then. Here is “the aftermath,” as Stanton put it.
Trying to smile with that wound — and those stitches — on the left side of Stanton’s mouth surely hurts. Yet he’s trying anyway. Of course, Stanton is probably taking some very effective painkillers right now. That still doesn’t diminish the effort, nor the willingness to show fans his recovery.
