Verdict Is In: MLB Home Run Derby A Smash Hit As Judge Crowned Champ
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MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) — There was a huge turnout for the 2017 Home Run Derby – an event that saw monster mashers like the Marlins' Giancarlo Stanton and the Yankees' Aaron Judge.
"The All-Star gem in Miami. It's pretty neat. You remember in 2000 we were supposed to have it and we got gipped and took it away and gave it to Atlanta," said attendee Richard Gibson.
Gibson and fans alike got to watch Judge dominate the All-Star Home Run Derby in the same manner he has smashed his way through his rookie season.
The larger-than-life New York Yankees slugger beat Minnesota's Miguel Sano 11-10 with two minutes to spare in the final Monday night, reaching 513 feet and displaying remarkable power to all fields.
The derby, boosted by years of TV coverage, is highly popular and adds glamour to the traditional game which can be long and, frankly, sometimes boring.
"I think the Home Run Derby has been hyped and publicized so much for the last couple of years it does overshadow the All-Star game," one fan said.
And the verdict is in, the 6-foot-7 Judge put on a show that will definitely cast a shadow on the Summer Classic.
Judge sprayed balls off the glass behind left field that supports the Marlins Park retractable roof, hit one over the Red Grooms home run sculpture in left-center, over the batter's eye in straightaway center and, unusually for a derby, to the opposite field, too. He also hit the roof near a light bank in left, 160 feet above the field. That drive didn't count.
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Hitting second each time, Judge knocked out Miami's Justin Bour 23-22 in the first round and beat Los Angeles Dodgers rookie Cody Bellinger 13-12 in the second. Then, with lightning visible behind the huge glass door, he hit a 458-foot drive to center for the title.
Judge leads the major league with 30 home runs and some Yankees fans showed up to support him in their full dress — flowing black robes and white powdered wigs. Booed initially by the crowd of 37,027, Judge earned their cheers once defending champion Stanton of the Marlins was eliminated in the first round.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
