NEW YORK – Josh Hamilton turned the Home Run Derby into a marathon. Then he lost it as a sprint.
In a show of sustained power befitting Yankee Stadium's final season and striking awe in an audience of his big league peers, the Texas Rangers' prodigal slugger belted a record 28 home runs in the first round of last night's All-Star exhibition.
But Minnesota's Justin Morneau took home the trophy, if sheepishly, by outlasting the weary Hamilton in the final round, 5-3.
“I was lucky that we got reset,” said Morneau, the American League's 2006 Most Valuable Player. “This was his show. He deserved to win it. That was one of the best performances I've ever seen.”
Hamilton's first-round output bettered by four the standard Bobby Abreu set in 2005 and featured a stretch of 13 straight swings in which the ball cleared the fence in fair territory. Official estimates also credited Hamilton with the three longest home runs of the competition – 518, 504 and 502 feet – and nearly three miles of total distance.
Yet though Hamilton smashed 35 homers in three rounds compared to Morneau's 22, the rules of the competition stipulate that the two finalists must start the last round from scratch.
Each round ends when a player takes his 10th swing that fails to produce a home run. Hamilton's first round lasted 54 pitches, including takes.
“I said after the first round, 'If I don't hit another ball out or if I don't win this, I'm not going to be disappointed,' ” Hamilton said. “Human nature (is) you are a little disappointed, but we accomplished what we wanted.”
Baseball's comeback story of the decade (at the least), Hamilton has rebounded from crack addiction and 3½ years of suspensions to lead the major leagues with 95 RBI. He has told his story unflinchingly and tirelessly in the hope that his example might save and/or inspire others.
“I was kind of cheering for him because the whole crowd's behind him, everybody's cheering him on,” Morneau said. “You want to see that story end in a good way but, at the same time, it's something I always dreamed of. You know, I played Home Run Derby in my backyard all the time. I watched it on TV. You know it was something that I always wanted to do.”
Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez declined to participate in the Home Run Derby, citing a concern for bad swing habits. Philadelphia's Ryan Howard, the 2008 home run leader, failed to crack the All-Star roster. Thus the field for last night's competition struck some critics as being watered-down.
That was before Hamilton walked up to home plate for his round. Afterward, everything seemed like an anticlimax.
“Anyone who was here won't forget that performance,” Morneau said. “We're sitting there saying to each other, 'How do you follow that?' I'm glad I didn't hit right after him.”
Tim Sullivan: (619) 293-1033; tim.sullivan@uniontrib.com
