PHOENIX – New York Yankees’ Robinson Cano used his powerful swing to edge Adrian Gonzalez and win the home run derby ahead of Tuesday’s 2011 Major League Baseball all-star game.
Cano, who batted last, overpowered Boston Red Sox first baseman Gonzalez 12-11 in the final round Monday after the slugger blasted 20 homers through the opening couple of rounds.
Cano was being pitched to by his father, former Houston Astros pitcher Jose Cano.
“As a kid, you dream to be up here with a bunch of guys that you watched back in the day, like Sosa, Griffey, McGwire, Giambi, how much fun they have,” Robinson Cano said.
There was a scary moment during the homer competition as a fan standing on a table toppled over while trying to snag a Prince Fielder ball.
But the lucky fan was grabbed by someone nearby before he tumbled all the way over the railing to the lower deck about six metres (20 feet) below. The fan was dangling by his feet when he was rescued.
On Thursday, Texas fireman Shannon Stone, 39, died while trying to catch a ball that Texas Rangers player Josh Hamilton tossed into the outfield stands in Dallas.
Hamilton flipped over the railing and plunged six metres to his death behind the outfield wall.
Gonzalez and Cano easily stood out from the rest of the field as they eliminated defending champion David Ortiz of the Red Sox and Milwaukee’s Fielder in the second round.
St. Louis’ Matt Holliday, Toronto’s Jose Bautista, Milwaukee’s Rickie Weeks and the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Matt Kemp didn’t get past the opening round.
The home run derby lasted three hours thanks to lengthy commercial breaks and other interruptions. But the exuberant crowd of 44,820 didn’t seem to mind.
Matt Thomas of Arizona caught Holliday’s second souvenir gold ball, hit deep into the left-field lower deck. The ball, with one panel infused with 24-karat gold leather, is worth $150. Players were thrown gold balls to hit when they had one out remaining.
The MLB all-star game is Tuesday.