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Ryan Howard - Home Run Derby Champion

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  • Ryan Howard - Home Run Derby Champion

    Well heck - at least we beat the METS in something...

    Howard's end: Phillies 1B wins Home Run DerbyAssociated Press


    PITTSBURGH -- The Philadelphia Phillies haven't been big winners for a long time. Thanks to Ryan Howard and Bobby Abreu, they're tough to beat in the Home Run Derby.

    Home Run Derby Winners
    Year Winner Team Site
    2006 Ryan Howard Phillies Pittsburgh
    2005 Bobby Abreu Phillies Detroit
    2004 Miguel Tejada Orioles Houston
    2003 Garret Anderson Angels Chicago (AL)
    2002 Jason Giambi Yankees Milwaukee
    2001 Luis Gonzalez D-Backs Seattle
    2000 Sammy Sosa Cubs Atlanta
    1999 Ken Griffey Jr. Mariners Boston
    1998 Ken Griffey Jr. Mariners Denver
    1997 Tino Martinez Yankees Cleveland
    1996 Barry Bonds Giants Phila.
    1995 Frank Thomas White Sox Arlington
    1994 Ken Griffey Jr. Mariners Pittsburgh
    1993 Juan Gonzalez Rangers Baltimore
    1992 Mark McGwire A's San Diego
    1991 Cal Ripken Orioles Toronto
    1990 Ryne Sandberg Cubs Wrigley

    Howard made certain his first trip to the All-Star game would be a memorable one, beating out the Mets' David Wright to give the Phillies their second derby winner in as many summers.

    "That'll give the fans in Philly something to cheer about," said Howard, whose 28 homers at the All-Star break tie him for second in the NL.

    After homering into the Allegheny River earlier, the 2005 NL Rookie of the Year's fifth and decisive homer in the championship round banged off a "Hit It Here" sign above the right-field stands to give a lucky fan 500 free round-trip air tickets.

    "I didn't know I'd hit the sign, but that's great," said Howard, who insists he hasn't tried to hit homers in batting practice since playing at Southwest Missouri State.

    Howard also said he didn't try to reach the river on the fly, saying, "I was trying to take some good hacks, and it just ended up there. I just tried to relax and make sure it was a perfect pitch."

    Wright, with Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca throwing to him, had a big edge after the first round with 16, or six more than any other competitor. But he had only six in the next two rounds, and Howard won the final with extra at-bats to spare.

    "Once you get past that first round you want to win, so it's a little disappointing," Wright said.

    Wright's 16 homers were the third most of any round in the derby's 21-year history, though he hit eight fewer than Abreu's record-breaking 24 a year ago in Detroit. Abreu went on to win the 2005 competition with 41, or 14 more than any other winner. He wasn't eligible this year after not being chosen for the All-Star game.

    PNC Park, with its distant fences in left and left-center and short, 320-foot porch in right field, favors left-handed batters, but the right-handed Wright repeatedly reached the seats with ease.

    But while Abreu's 24 homers did not carry over to the second round, a rules change enacted this year meant Wright's did. That gave the Mets third baseman a six-homer advantage over Boston's David Ortiz before any second-round homers were hit, all but guaranteeing Wright a spot in the finals even though he hit only two in the second round.

    '06 Homers by
    Home Run Derby Participants
    TEAM HR
    AMERICAN LEAGUE
    David Ortiz Red Sox 31
    Jermaine Dye White Sox 25
    Troy Glaus Blue Jays 23
    Miguel Tejada Orioles 17
    NATIONAL LEAGUE
    Ryan Howard* Phillies 28
    Lance Berkman Astros 24
    David Wright Mets 20
    Miguel Cabrera Marlins 15
    * - 2006 Derby champion
    Howard made a big push to get into the final round, hitting 10 homers in the second round for a two-round total of 18 to tie Wright and bypass Ortiz and Florida's Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera had nine homers in the first round and six in the second.

    "I just tried to get locked in, get some pitches and try not to make the last out," Howard said.

    The totals did not carry over into the final round, when Howard outhomered Wright 5-4.

    Ortiz hit 10 in the first round, down from his 17 of a year ago -- the second most in any round since the event began in 1985. Ortiz's 31 homers at the break are the most ever by a Red Sox player.

    But after hitting ball after ball into the Allegheny River on the fly or bounce in the first round, Ortiz fell off by hitting only three in the second round -- just as he did in missing last year's final in Detroit.

    Many derby hitters like to bring a preferred batting practice pitcher with them, but Wright might have been the first to rely on a fellow All-Star. Lo Duca tried to locate the ball where Wright likes it the most, down and in.

    "I was a pitcher in high school," Lo Duca said. "Now you see why I'm not."

    Lo Duca threw to Wright before Sunday's game against the Marlins, and something must have worked as Wright went on to hit his 20th homer of the season. The two also had a batting practice session Monday morning.

    As he stepped into the batter's box for the final round, Wright yelled to the mound: "Come on, Dukey. Let's go."

    Derby Winners' Homers
    Before and After Break*
    BEFORE AFTER
    2006 Ryan Howard 28 ?
    2005 Bobby Abreu** 18 6
    2004 Miguel Tejada 15 19
    2003 Garrett Anderson 22 7
    2002 Jason Giambi 22 19
    2001 Luis Gonzalez 35 22
    * - Last six years
    ** - 14 to date since winning
    Unlike last year, when the Pirates' Jason Bay failed to homer in Comerica Park, each of the eight competitors homered. Troy Glaus of Toronto finished with one, but the other seven hit at least three.

    Eliminated after the first round were Jermaine Dye (7) Miguel Tejada (3), Lance Berkman (3) and Glaus.

    Ortiz, Berkman and Howard all found the Allegheny River behind the right-field stands on the fly, a feat accomplished only once in regular season play. Daryle Ward did it for the Astros in July 2002 with a drive estimated at 479 feet.

    The fans at PNC Park don't see as many homers as they would like from the last-place Pirates, so they cheered every homer and reacted loudly to any ball that looked river-bound. And while Pittsburgh is an NL city, the biggest cheers and the brightest flashbulb bursts were for Ortiz.

    Not only was PNC Park sold out -- the crowd of 38,702 has been topped only once for a Pirates game -- hundreds of fans lined the Roberto Clemente Bridge behind center field for a free but distant view.
    Carson Wentz ERA


    NFC East Titles:
    Playoff Appearances:
    NFC Title Games:
    Super Bowl Titles:

  • #2
    Nice. I didn't watch it because.. well I almost made it a point not to watch it after 5,000,000 mentions of the Century 21 Home Run Derby will be on ESPN while watching ESPNews.

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    • #3
      I had it on with the sound muted but wasn't really paying attention because we had company.
      Whatcha Gonna Do Brother, When the Eagles run wild on you?

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