Sam Canton breaks two records with historic home run for Idaho Falls

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – The Idaho Falls Chukars have been the center of a few record-breaking performances this second half, and they can now add another to their collection. On August 19th, with two runners on, two out, and a full count, Sam Canton drove a ball over the right-field wall for a home run. With one swing, he broke two records.

The home run was his 29th of the season, which was good for the Idaho Falls Chukars' single-season home run mark. The three RBI he drove in put him at 131 on the season, which was good for the Pioneer League single-season total. He finished the game with 133 RBI. Canton also owns the Chukars' single-season RBI record, a feat he achieved with a 5 RBI night back on August 11.

"It's tough to put into words," Canton told me. "It's kind of unbelievable to me a little bit." As of the writing of this article, Canton is slashing .413/.485/.775 on the season, and is coming off of a series in Ogden that earned him the Pioneer League hitter of the week honor.

"It makes me really proud," the Idaho Falls outfielder said. "It kind of proves to myself that I'm very good at this game, and all the hard work that I put in, growing up... all the difficult times... [it's] just kind of coming together and showing what I can do out there."

Canton has also been mentored by Tyler Wyatt throughout this season, a Chukar who also found his name in the Pioneer League record books with his hitting streak, which is still active at 37-straight games as of August 20th.

"I talk to Tyler Wyatt probably the most about hitting," he said. "He's just an older guy who's kind of taken me under his wing, which I'm really grateful for. He's just kind of showed me the way to navigate such a long season."

The Idaho Falls Chukars are actively chasing down a playoff spot. The Modesto Roadsters sit in the first second half playoff spot with a 28-4 record so far. Missoula sits in the second spot. The Boise Hawks are a game and a half out of Missoula, while the Chukars are 4 games out as of the writing of this article.