Two Guys Sports
Bruce BostwickMorneau Wins Home Run Derby, but it was Hamilton's Show
July 15th 2008 14:41
Morneau Wins, but Josh Hamilton Dominated
In a day when many big sluggers and baseball superstars sitout the All Star Home Run Derby, and even the All Star game at times this year’s display in the Derby was really refreshing.
This year’s Derby competitors were a list of some different names than most are used to seeing. A.L. Home Run leader Grady Sizemore, Marlins new star Dan Uggla, the Phillies Chase Utley, and Rays rookie Evan Longoria were all eliminated in the first round where just the top four home run totals move on to round two. Longoria is the first rookie to be in the Derby since 1997 when Nomar Garciaparra took some swings in Cleveland.
The four players that made it through to the second round were Brewers OF Ryan Braun, The Big Puma from Houston, Lance Berkman, Minnesota’s Justin Morneau, and the Rangers’s Josh Hamilton.
It was the first and only time that the Home Run Derby would ever take place at historic Yankee Stadium, so you knew it was going to be something special.
Most baseball fans, and even non fans have heard the stories about Josh Hamilton’s road to the Major Leagues. He was the #1 draft pick of the Tampa Bay (at the time Devil) Rays, straight out of high school. He got a $4 million signing bonus. While playing in the minors, and recovering from injuries he got in with the wrong crowd. This led to alcohol and drug addiction, and his eventual suspension from baseball. The suspension kept him out of the game for three years. During that three years he would eventually overcome his demons after going through multiple stints in rehab. He shared a story earlier in the day Monday about a dream he had some two years ago. He dreamt that he was being interviewed by a woman at Yankee Stadium after he had participated in the Home Run Derby. Welcome to your dream Josh Hamilton.
Whoever decided that Hamilton would be the last to bat in the first round was a genius, even if it was just a random draw. Everyone else put on a decent show, till he came to bat. When he did come up to bat he brought with him a 71 year old man named Clay (Cleigh?) Counsil to pitch to him. Counsil has been a volunteer batting practice pitcher for many years in North Carolina, and often threw BP to Hamilton when he was a teenager. Even though Hamilton is a Texas Ranger, a team not usually liked in Yankee Stadium, the fans took right to him. Once he started to put on a show for them they were chanting his name in unison, all 53,716 of them. It truly was amazing to watch. He was hitting home run after home run. The majority of which weren’t the type that just makes it over the fence, but instead the type that hits the middle rows of the upper deck in right field at the Stadium, and hit the sign and scoreboard in right-center field that only the likes of Reggie Jackson has hit to.
Three of his shots went further than 500 foot, the longest reached 518 foot, just short of the Derby record of 524 foot set by Sammy Sosa in 2002. Frank Thomas also had one that measured 519 foot in 1994. By the time he was done in round one Hamilton had hit 28 home runs, that is four more than the record 24 set by Bobby Abreu in 2005. He had a string of 13 consecutive shots on his way to that record. His 28 long balls totaled over 2 miles in distance, and averaged 445 foot each. His 71 year old pitcher Counsil threw 54 pitches in that round. The only sad thing about his 28 shots was that once a batter got to 9 outs they switched to a gold ball. Each home run that a hitter hit using the gold balls was worth $17,000 to the boys and girls club. Hamilton hit zero on the gold balls. The boys and girls clubs did get well over $100,000 on the night though.
Hamilton didn’t even need to bat in the second round, he was already assured of being in the finals. I felt knowing him he would come back out and bat anyway for the fans, and the fun of it. He did indeed come out for the second round, after hitting four over the fence, and getting four outs he did stop though. He and I am sure his pitcher were both getting a bit tired. I would have liked to see him get 9 outs on purpose and then hit on the gold balls to see how much he could have gotten for the B&G club.
His opponent going into the finals was Justin Morneau. At this point Hamilton had 32 total, and Morneau had just 17 total. The rules of the Derby however state that going into the final round all the totals are reset back to zero. In the final round Morneau hit 5 home runs, while Hamilton only got 3 over the fence. Morneau said afterward, “I was lucky that we got reset. This was his show. He deserved to win it. It does seem kind of unfair that he didn’t get to win the whole thing.”
It was indeed Josh Hamilton’s show at Yankee Stadium Monday night. It was remarkable to see people like Reggie Jackson, and David Ortiz watching someone else hitting home runs in total awe. Every player that was sitting on that field watching was having so much fun seeing this show that he was putting on. Hamilton could have easily broken Abreu’s record of 42 total home runs in a Derby had he taken all his at bats in round two, instead he finished with 35. His first round total of 28 had already moved Hamilton into second most all-time for an entire Derby behind Abreu’s total.
I was happy to see the only Home Run Derby to ever be held at Yankee Stadium turn into such a special show that included him hitting shots to a couple of places I had sat in at the legendary stadium before. I will miss the House that Ruth Built, I have had many memories there, some of which I will share in a later article about the hallowed halls of The Stadium. This is just an added memory.
In a day when many big sluggers and baseball superstars sitout the All Star Home Run Derby, and even the All Star game at times this year’s display in the Derby was really refreshing.
This year’s Derby competitors were a list of some different names than most are used to seeing. A.L. Home Run leader Grady Sizemore, Marlins new star Dan Uggla, the Phillies Chase Utley, and Rays rookie Evan Longoria were all eliminated in the first round where just the top four home run totals move on to round two. Longoria is the first rookie to be in the Derby since 1997 when Nomar Garciaparra took some swings in Cleveland.
Justin Morneau outlasted Josh Hamilton to win the 2008 Home Run Derby. (Image: Jim McIsaac)
It was the first and only time that the Home Run Derby would ever take place at historic Yankee Stadium, so you knew it was going to be something special.
Most baseball fans, and even non fans have heard the stories about Josh Hamilton’s road to the Major Leagues. He was the #1 draft pick of the Tampa Bay (at the time Devil) Rays, straight out of high school. He got a $4 million signing bonus. While playing in the minors, and recovering from injuries he got in with the wrong crowd. This led to alcohol and drug addiction, and his eventual suspension from baseball. The suspension kept him out of the game for three years. During that three years he would eventually overcome his demons after going through multiple stints in rehab. He shared a story earlier in the day Monday about a dream he had some two years ago. He dreamt that he was being interviewed by a woman at Yankee Stadium after he had participated in the Home Run Derby. Welcome to your dream Josh Hamilton.
Whoever decided that Hamilton would be the last to bat in the first round was a genius, even if it was just a random draw. Everyone else put on a decent show, till he came to bat. When he did come up to bat he brought with him a 71 year old man named Clay (Cleigh?) Counsil to pitch to him. Counsil has been a volunteer batting practice pitcher for many years in North Carolina, and often threw BP to Hamilton when he was a teenager. Even though Hamilton is a Texas Ranger, a team not usually liked in Yankee Stadium, the fans took right to him. Once he started to put on a show for them they were chanting his name in unison, all 53,716 of them. It truly was amazing to watch. He was hitting home run after home run. The majority of which weren’t the type that just makes it over the fence, but instead the type that hits the middle rows of the upper deck in right field at the Stadium, and hit the sign and scoreboard in right-center field that only the likes of Reggie Jackson has hit to.
Three of his shots went further than 500 foot, the longest reached 518 foot, just short of the Derby record of 524 foot set by Sammy Sosa in 2002. Frank Thomas also had one that measured 519 foot in 1994. By the time he was done in round one Hamilton had hit 28 home runs, that is four more than the record 24 set by Bobby Abreu in 2005. He had a string of 13 consecutive shots on his way to that record. His 28 long balls totaled over 2 miles in distance, and averaged 445 foot each. His 71 year old pitcher Counsil threw 54 pitches in that round. The only sad thing about his 28 shots was that once a batter got to 9 outs they switched to a gold ball. Each home run that a hitter hit using the gold balls was worth $17,000 to the boys and girls club. Hamilton hit zero on the gold balls. The boys and girls clubs did get well over $100,000 on the night though.
Hamilton didn’t even need to bat in the second round, he was already assured of being in the finals. I felt knowing him he would come back out and bat anyway for the fans, and the fun of it. He did indeed come out for the second round, after hitting four over the fence, and getting four outs he did stop though. He and I am sure his pitcher were both getting a bit tired. I would have liked to see him get 9 outs on purpose and then hit on the gold balls to see how much he could have gotten for the B&G club.
His opponent going into the finals was Justin Morneau. At this point Hamilton had 32 total, and Morneau had just 17 total. The rules of the Derby however state that going into the final round all the totals are reset back to zero. In the final round Morneau hit 5 home runs, while Hamilton only got 3 over the fence. Morneau said afterward, “I was lucky that we got reset. This was his show. He deserved to win it. It does seem kind of unfair that he didn’t get to win the whole thing.”
It was indeed Josh Hamilton’s show at Yankee Stadium Monday night. It was remarkable to see people like Reggie Jackson, and David Ortiz watching someone else hitting home runs in total awe. Every player that was sitting on that field watching was having so much fun seeing this show that he was putting on. Hamilton could have easily broken Abreu’s record of 42 total home runs in a Derby had he taken all his at bats in round two, instead he finished with 35. His first round total of 28 had already moved Hamilton into second most all-time for an entire Derby behind Abreu’s total.
I was happy to see the only Home Run Derby to ever be held at Yankee Stadium turn into such a special show that included him hitting shots to a couple of places I had sat in at the legendary stadium before. I will miss the House that Ruth Built, I have had many memories there, some of which I will share in a later article about the hallowed halls of The Stadium. This is just an added memory.
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