Yankees RF Aaron Judge displayed the "same power that has made him the biggest story of the first half of this season" during last night's T-Mobile Home Run Derby, becoming the first rookie to win the event, according to Andre Fernandez of the MIAMI HERALD. Judge gave the crowd of 37,027 at Marlins Park and the "millions watching around the world a power display to remember," hitting a total of 47 homers and defeating Twins 3B Miguel Sano 11-10 in the finals. After "overcoming an impressive performance" by Marlins 1B Justin Bour in Round 1 to win 23-22, Judge beat fellow rookie Dodgers 1B/LF Cody Bellinger 13-12 in the semifinals. Bour "brought the crowd to its feet several times" (MIAMI HERALD, 7/11). In Miami, Greg Cote notes Marlins RF Giancarlo Stanton, last year's Derby champ, "unexpectedly got knocked out in the first round" by Yankees C Gary Sanchez. Stanton's departure took some "energy from the huge, festive Marlins Park home crowd, but Bour put it right back with a 22-home run show" (MIAMI HERALD, 7/11). The announced crowd of 37,027 was often loud and lively, but the event did not sell out (Eric Fisher, Staff Writer).
ORDER IN THE COURT: The AP's Ronald Blum noted some Yankees fans supported Judge with "flowing black robes and white powdered wigs." Initially booed by the crowd, Judge "earned cheers" once Stanton and Bour were eliminated (AP, 7/10). On Long Island, Erik Boland notes Judge had players from both leagues "jumping up and exchanging high-fives along with many in the sellout crowd" (NEWSDAY, 7/11). In N.Y., Joel Sherman writes, "Everyone hits homers in this event, but not like Judge." Only one other participant hit a shot over 500 feet, while Judge did so "four times." His home runs "came in all shapes and sizes, in all directions." Sherman: "It all just raised his profile" (N.Y. POST, 7/11). Also in N.Y., Ken Davidoff writes Judge's dominance "felt anticlimactic" by the end (N.Y. POST, 7/11).
THE NEW MIDSUMMER CLASSIC? On Long Island, David Lennon writes the All-Star Game "can’t measure up" to the Derby. Lennon: "Ladies and gentlemen, your new American Pastime: the Home Run Derby." MLB has "managed to distill the less desirable ingredients from its brand to create a more easily consumable, more entertaining product" (NEWSDAY, 7/11). YAHOO SPORTS' Mike Oz writes the Derby has "reached peak baseball porn." Oz: "It’s an event to gawk at, to thoroughly enjoy, to marvel at the muscle and to rise to your feet as a home-run loving baseball fan when Judge puts on a show like he did to capture the trophy" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 7/11). THE RINGER's Claire McNear wrote after tweaking the Derby's format in '15, the event is now a "clear success." The "dramatic, entertainment, and competitive aspects" of last night's competition were a "collective 30 out of 30 on the 'dope as hell' scale." It was "joyous and intense and a spectacular showcase of some of baseball’s best players doing baseball’s most obvious best thing." McNear: "It was great" (THERINGER.com, 7/10).
A TASTE OF THE BIG TIME: Despite falling short of a sellout, in Ft. Lauderdale, Dave Hyde writes the Derby is "what a big event feels like." For a long time, it appeared that South Florida's All-Star moment "would come and go and too many fans in the oddest sports market of them all would refuse to take a break from their embraced apathy" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 7/11).
