2008 Woodie Awards
Hamilton hits record 28 HRs in Derby's first round
Mike Fitzpatrick
Issue date: 7/16/08 Section: Sports
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Alas, the Texas Rangers' comeback kid had nothing left.
Hamilton hit a record 28 homers in the first round of the All-Star Home Run Derby before running out of gas and getting beaten by Minnesota's Justin Morneau in the finals Monday night.
The 2006 AL MVP topped a tired Hamilton 5-3 in the last round, giving him the derby crown. 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.
"It'll be like 2:30 before I go to sleep," he said. "I hardly ever watch myself on TV, but I may look at some of it."
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 firmly behind him, 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 was drafted No. 1 overall by Tampa Bay out of high school in 1999, with some veteran scouts calling him the best prospect they'd ever seen. He finally reached the majors last year with Cincinnati, then was traded in the offseason for All-Star Edinson Volquez and another pitcher in a deal that has paid off immensely for both teams.
With his smooth left-handed swing and jaw-dropping power, Hamilton seemed a natural choice to take advantage of Yankee Stadium's short right-field porch. But he cleared the deepest fences with ease, hitting three shots farther than 500 feet, including his longest estimated at 518.
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