TAKING FANS ALONG FOR THE (LONG) RIDE
Nationals slugger, trailing Schwarber 18-9, homers on nine of last 10 swings
Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals acknowledges the home crowd Monday night at Nationals Park after winning the first round of the annual Home Run Derby during the All-Star Game festivities in the nation’s capital. Harper went on to win the title, defeating Kyle Schwarber of the Chicago Cubs in the final round. Last year’s winner, Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees, did not compete this time, nor did Judge’s current teammate Giancarlo Stanton, who won the event in 2016. No member of the Rockies has ever won the Derby, which began in 1985.
WASHINGTON» The ball cleared the center-field wall, and the sellout crowd roared. Bryce Harper threw his bat in the air, thrust both index fingers skyward and yelled with delight as a shower of streamers rained upon the crowd of 43,698.
It could have been a scene from a playoff game. That it was merely the All-Star Home Run Derby mattered not to Harper or the Washington Nationals fans, who were thrilled to see their hometown hero deliver the night’s final longball Monday.
In the midst of it all — and in the middle of trying season — Harper grabbed the microphone and said: “This crowd: Wow! Washington Nationals, baby!”
With an exceptional display of power and clutch hitting, Harper rallied in the final round, connecting on pitches from his father to beat Kyle Schwarber of the Chicago Cubs 19-18.
Harper hit the contest-winning blast in extra time, the reward for hitting two homers at least 440 feet during the four minutes of regulation. After he connected with the game-winner, the Nationals star immediately went into celebration mode.
“We have some of the best fans in all of baseball, and to be able to that with my family out there, that’s an incredible moment, not only for me but for the organization and the Nationals fans,” Harper said.
Harper’s teammate, Max Scherzer, the NL starter on Tuesday night, also appreciated the moment.
“It’s awesome. Hometown,” Scherzer said. “The crowd is behind him. He found some rhythm, kept it simple and just continued to hit home run after home run.”
Wearing a headband that resembled the District of Columbia flag and displaying a right sleeve with stars and stripes, Harper trailed 18-9 with 1:20 left before rallying. He homered on nine of his last 10 swings before entering extra time.
The six-time all-star arranged to have his dad, Ron, pitch to him in the annual contest on the eve of the All-Star Game. That made the victory even sweeter.
“I’m only as good as my BP guy,” Harper said with a grin.
Hours before the session, Harper spoke excitedly about having his dad pitch to him in the contest. The 25-year-old said his father “worked his tail off every single day to provide for me and my family” and “now being able to have him throw to me in a big league ballpark is the cherry on top.”
Afterward, Ron Harper said of his son: “He did great. So I’m really proud of him. He’s a great kid. You couldn’t ask for anything better.”
The 2015 NL MVP beat Freddie Freeman of the Atlanta Braves and Max Muncy of the Dodgers before trumping the fifth-seeded Schwarber, who put the pressure on with a solid outing.