Not loud enough
Pirates 1B Josh Bell eliminated in first round of Home Run Derby; Mets’ Alonso wins event
CLEVELAND — Win or lose, Josh Bell wanted to put on a show.
Since it has been public knowledge that he would compete in Home Run Derby Monday night at Progressive Field, every time Bell discussed the topic he repeated that same desire.
The Irving, Texas native likened it to what Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton did at old Yankee Stadium in 2008, when he crushed 28 first- round homers to steal the show … but ultimately came up short.
Bell didn’t make it out of the opening round in his first Derby, but he still felt good about what he produced, hoping there’s plenty more to come.
“That was fun,” said Bell, who lost to Atlanta’s Ronald Acuna Jr., 25- 18. “I didn’t win. Wanted to. It was cool to be able to share this experience with [ pitcher/ friend] Jon [ Schwind] and hit in front of my family.”
Ultimately, Mets rookie slugger Pete Alonso outlasted a worn- down Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Blue Jays in the final round to claim the $ 1 million prize.
As stadium workers began adjusting the portable pitching mound and the L- screen that protects those throwing strike after strike, Bell was greeted by
a few former teammates; Gerrit Cole and Austin Meadows — now with the Astros and Rays, respectively — came over to pat Bell on the back and say good job.
Getting off to a good start seemed to be a bit of an issue for Bell, who had just three home runs in the first minute. He used his timeout with 2:33 left in the fourminute period and gained a little bit of traction from that, finding a groove.
There wasn’t really a pattern to the balls Bell missed. Some he got under, others he hit hard — just on a line. The rhythm that he wanted to craft with Schwind also seemed fine; Bell just didn’t make the sort of consistently hard contact Pirates fans have seen him make during the regular season.
“I was exhausted to say the least,” Bell said. “But I think I did a decent job of putting on a show.”
Things never got that close for Bell, whose opponent, Acuna, delivered a terrific performance, spraying the ball to all fields with power.
“He was smashing balls,” Bell said. “I knew I had to hit a lot early, but I got off to a slow start.”
Preserving energy was on Bell’s mind for much of the day, and he tailored his day around conserving as much of it as possible.
The competition is hardly an easy thing. Unlike actual baseball, players can feel free to swing out of their cleats. Furthermore, unlike years past, these are timed rounds. Long timed rounds.
“I was hacking,” Bell said. “It wasn’t really baseball in my mind. It was just [$1 million] on the table that was up for grabs, so go get it.”
Worried about how his body might feel toward the end, Bell held his own Home Run Derby practice Sunday morning at PNC Park with Schwind, taking three oneminute rounds in the indoor cage before the Pirates played host to the Milwaukee Brewers.
Before his round, Bell stood stoically near the ondeck circle, occasionally stretching and gazing into the crowd. While Pirates teammate Felipe Vazquez jokingly tried to help his fellow Venezuelan Acuna settle down, Bell kept his focus.
In the stands, Bell’s parents nervously watched from their seats, their madefor-TV reactions captured with every camera cutaway.
The end result was not close. Bell had 17 home runs after regulation and was able to tack on just one more in 30 seconds of bonus time. The “show” he sought to put on was handled by those who hit after him.
But another part of what Bell wanted to get out of this was the experience. A year ago, he was sitting at home during the Derby, literally and figuratively miles away from competing.
A busy and productive offseason didn’t net Bell big money, but he did receive plenty of recognition from his peers and those in attendance.
“I felt like I put on a decent show, something that I could look back on and smile,” Bell said. “Hopefully there’s a better showing in the future.”