| Advertisement |
CINCINNATI -- Todd Frazier wasn't pleased with last year's performance in the All-Star Home Run Derby, when he managed just one homer in the finals and lost to Yoenis Cespedes. "I put up a poor showing at the end," the Cincinnati Reds third baseman said. "I had some unfinished business."
Advertisement
Frazier thrilled the home crowd Monday night with his first Home Run Derby victory, defeating Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson in dramatic fashion at Great American Ball Park.
Frazier, with his brother Charlie pitching, tied Pederson with 14 homers in regulation. Then, on his first swing in the 30-second bonus round, awarded for having two homers of at least 425 feet, the 29-year old All-Star lined the winner into the left field seats.
"Dramatic. It basically took to the last seconds," Frazier said. "The crowd had a big-time impact. Just hearing the crowd roar, call my name, adrenaline. Really picked me up. To bring home this hardware is special."
The 15 homers were the most by any player Monday and the most ever in the final round of a Derby.
The only other player to win the event at his home ballpark was the Chicago Cubs' Ryne Sandberg in 1990 at Wrigley Field.
"In the last minute, I really couldn't feel my arm," said Charlie Frazier, who also pitched to his brother in the 2014 Derby. "I was just trying to watch Todd to see what he wanted. He wanted to work quick, so that's what we did. I was pretty fired up."
Pederson, whose pitcher was Oklahoma City Dodgers coach Johnny Washington, hit 12 homers in each of the first two rounds.
Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols was the top overall seed, but he fell one homer short to Pederson in the semis.
In the other semifinal, Frazier, with the crowd often chanting his name, launched his 10th home on the final swing of regulation to edge Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson and earn his second consecutive trip to the finals.
"I felt like a little kid in the backyard tonight, just swinging away," Frazier said.
This was the first year with revised Derby rules, including a single-elimination bracket format with timed rounds. However, with strong storms in the forecast, Major League Baseball tweaked the rules again Monday in an effort to expedite the event.
The five-minute time limit per batter per round was reduced to four minutes. A 30-second reward for home runs exceeding 475 feet was eliminated, and a 60-second bonus for hitting two homers of at least 425 feet was reduced to a 30-second bonus.
"You had to pick the pace up a little bit," Frazier said. "It made for a little more opportunity. You swing at everything once you're down. You have to hit it out wherever the ball's pitched."
Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who during the Derby press conference Monday afternoon said he was feeling the pressure of batting first, hit eight homers in the first round, including a 452-foot bomb to right-center.
However, it wasn't enough, as Donaldson advanced with nine, including a 465-foot blast into the upper-deck bleachers in left.
Texas Rangers first baseman Prince Fielder, a two-time Derby champion, put on a show in the first round with eight homers exceeding 425 feet. He added one homer in the 30-second bonus round for a total of 13. However, Frazier responded.
With the Reds fans in attendance loudly chanting "Let's go Frazier," the third baseman tied Fielder, then on his first swing of the bonus round, launched his 14th homer to advance to face Donaldson in the semifinals.
"Once he had 13, I thought that normally is enough to get you past," Frazier said. "But I got into a good groove."
Pederson defeated Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado 13-12 to advance to face Pujols. The Angels slugger, who is tied for the American League lead with 26 homers, hit his 10th homer just prior to the buzzer to edge Cubs rookie third baseman Kris Bryant.
Frazier is starting at third base for the National League in Tuesday night's All-Star Game and batting second.
"I'm pretty exhausted right now," he said. "Once I wake up in the morning and understand what happened, it'll be special. I'm just going to get a good night's sleep, no (batting practice) tomorrow, and be ready to go."
NOTES: Rangers 1B Prince Fielder made his sixth Derby appearance. Angels 1B Albert Pujols participated for the fourth time. ... Dodgers CF Joc Pederson and Cubs 3B Kris Bryant became the seventh and eighth rookies to compete in the Derby, the first since Tampa Bay 3B Evan Longoria in 2008. ... Bryant and 1B Anthony Rizzo are the first pair of Cubs teammates to participate and the 15th set of teammates to compete in the same year. ... Reds 3B Todd Frazier is the 18th player from a host team to compete. It was the third consecutive year there was a hometown competitor. Last year, the Twins' Brian Dozier competed at Target Field, a year after the Mets' David Wright did so at Citi Field.
