Josh Hamilton hits record 28 Home runs in Derby first round
By on
July 14th, 2008
Josh Hamilton dreamed it. Now he’s done it.
With a dazzling display of power Monday night, the Texas Rangers slugger hit a record 28 homers in the first round of the All-Star Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium before he was beaten out by Minnesota’s Justin Morneau in the finals.
Morneau topped a tired Hamilton 5-3 in the last round, giving him the derby title. But the night belonged to Hamilton.
Back from 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 chanting his name, undoubtedly warmed by his improbable journey to stardom, Hamilton connected on 13 consecutive cuts before falling short of the fences on his final two.
“I got chills,” he said.
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 of 518.
“I was lucky that we got reset,” Morneau said. “This was his show. He deserved to win it. That was one of the best performances I’ve ever seen.”
About Josh Hamilton
Joshua Holt Hamilton (born May 21, 1981 in Raleigh, North Carolina) is a Major League Baseball player for the Texas Rangers. He was the first overall pick in the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He was considered a blue chip prospect until injuries and addiction derailed his career in 2001. Prior to the 2007 season, Hamilton was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the Rule 5 Draft, and quickly sold to the Cincinnati Reds. He made his MLB debut in 2007, and had a successful rookie season. During the off-season he was traded to the Texas Rangers. After his torrid start to the 2008 season, Hamilton was named to the American League All-Star team. He was also a participant in the Home Run Derby where, with 28 home runs, he broke the previous single-round record of 24 set by Bobby Abreu in 2005.
Full Name: Joshua Holt Hamilton
Born: May 21, 1981 in Raleigh, North Carolina
Birthplace: Raleigh, NC
Height: 6′4″ Weight: 235
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
College: N/A
MLB Debut: 04/02/2007
Popularity: 1% [?]
