2009 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby
by Bodog Sportsbook | Jul 14 2009
His name is Prince, and he is funky.
Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder is your
2009 MLB Home Run Derby king. The 270-pound vegetarian sauntered up to the plate Monday night at Busch Stadium in St. Louis and went deep 11 times in the first round, six more in the second, and six more in the finals to cash in at hefty 19-4 odds. Fielder also hit the two biggest moon shots of the night, a 503-yard blast to right-center during the second round, and a 497-footer that paid out at 5-2 odds for the longest drive of the opening round.
The evening was a bit anticlimactic for the home fans for two reasons. One, nobody came close to putting on the show that Texas Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton did last year when he hit an unprecedented 28 home runs in the first round - although Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins actually won the competition. Two, local hero and betting favorite Albert Pujols (9-5) had to scramble just to make it into the second round before finishing the event in fourth place.
The buzz in the conventional media leading into the
2009 Home Run Derby was that it was sorely lacking in starpower. The broadcasters at ESPN did their best by virtually ignoring the first-round performances of San Diego Padres 1B Adrian Gonzalez (6-1), who hit two homers, and Detroit Tigers 3B Brandon Inge (11-1), who became the first player since Jason Bay in 2005 to put up a goose egg. While they took their cuts, the ESPN crew held interviews, including a curious sit-down with the All-Star Game broadcast tandem of Joe Buck and Tim McCarver from FOX.
ESPN must have been inspired by their infamous glowing puck - surely you remember FoxTrax (1996-1998) - because the Worldwide Leader trotted out their "Ball Track" feature for this year's coverage. It didn't go over too well. Speaking of not going over, there was some controversy about one of Pujols' home runs in the first round, which was actually caught by a fan who reached over the fence in right-center. No instant replay was used in this event. Pujols finished the first round tied with five dingers, matching Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer (13-2) and Tampa Bay Rays 1B Carlos Pena (7-1). Then Pujols advanced to the second round by winning a "swing-off."
Joining Fielder and Pujols in the second stanza were Philadelphia Phillies 1B and 2006 NL MVP Ryan Howard (13-5), who won the 2006 Home Run Derby, and Texas Rangers OF Nelson Cruz (15-2). Howard had a good night at the plate with seven homers in the first round and eight in the second, but he came up one short of getting into the final. Cruz matched Fielder with 11 homers in the opening round, added five in the second, then himself fell one tater short of Fielder in the final frame, losing 6-5. The NL foursome finished the day with 51 homers to 31 for the AL - now we'll see how those tired arms hold up at Tuesday's
All-Star Game.
