Hamilton steals show
But Morneau takes HR Derby title
NEW YORK – Without a hometown star to cheer for in the Home Run Derby, fans at Yankee Stadium adopted Josh Hamilton.
He certainly gave them an extraordinary show.
The Texas Rangers slugger hit a record 28 home runs in the first round before getting beaten out by Minnesota’s Justin Morneau in the finals Monday night.
Morneau topped a tired Hamilton 5-3 in the last round, giving him the derby title. But the night belonged to Hamilton, a first-time All-Star who put on a dazzling power display worthy of The House That Ruth Built.
“The whole stadium, the way people responded, higher and higher – you can’t beat it,” he said. “Them chanting my name and getting louder, it makes you more focused.”
Back from eight trips to rehab for drug and alcohol addiction that derailed his career, Hamilton broke Bobby Abreu’s mark for one round. Abreu hit 24 home runs in the first round in 2005 at Detroit’s Comerica Park.
Hamilton’s incredible tale of redemption has made national news this season, and he retold a story Monday afternoon about a vivid dream he had two years ago – he was being interviewed at Yankee Stadium after participating in the Home Run Derby.
“I can say it was a coincidence, but I don’t believe in those,” he said.
Mind you, his dream came while Hamilton was still banned from Major League Baseball, and before this year’s All-Star game was awarded to the venerable ballpark in its final season.
“Obviously, the dream, I didn’t know how many I would hit,” Hamilton said in a TV interview after his huge first-round performance. “I just feel blessed to have played here.”
With the crowd of 53,716 chanting his name, undoubtedly warmed by his improbable journey to stardom, Hamilton connected on 13 consecutive cuts before falling short of the fences on his final two in the first round.
“I got chills,” he said.
Hamilton totaled 35 homers (on 59 swings) to Morneau’s 22 – and the Texas outfielder stopped after making only four outs in the second round because he was already assured a spot in the finals. Contestants get 10 outs in each round.
When it was over, Morneau was left practically apologizing for beating Hamilton.
“I was lucky that we got reset,” he said. “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,” Morneau added. “Anyone who was here won’t forget that performance.”