2008 Home Run Derby

The 2008 Home Run Derby was a weird event. I remember watching it, but I don't know where I was or who was with me. I had to look up who won, and who competed in it. The only thing I remember clearly is Josh Hamilton hitting 28 home runs in the first round, which is a record that still stands. I can still picture myself leaning forward at the television, watching in awe as shot after shot went into the bleachers of Yankee Stadium. It was a special moment in baseball.

The 2008 All Star Game was held in old Yankee Stadium, the last year of its operation. MLB decided to give the legendary park a proper sendoff, and Hamilton lent a hand with his performance in the Home Run Derby.

His childhood baseball coach, 71-year-old Clay Counsil, pitched to him. Counsil delivered just about every ball perfectly, which is amazing, not just because of his age, but because of how many pitches he had to throw. My count was about fifty in the first round, not easy on anyone's arm.

Not long into his round, Hamilton started crushing the ball. His second home run went 502 feet. The crowd roared, and Hamilton took a step back to appreciate the moment. His teammate, second baseman Ian Kinsler, ran over to Hamilton in amazement. They shared a few words, and then as Kinsler jogged away, Hamilton called out to him, "That one should count for two!"

Before Hamilton stepped back in the box, the crowd roared at him again, and he tipped his hat. It's a beautiful moment. Back at the plate, he started crushing balls to center and right field. The guys surrounding him, the best baseball players in the world, got on their feet and cheered. They are as in awe as the rest of us. It's something I've always loved about baseball, its ability to turn grown men into little boys. At one point David Ortiz got up and walked by Hamilton at the plate, waving him off. He stomped into the dugout, fake mad, yelling at Hamilton that there's no point in even competing anymore. You can't blame him.

One of Hamilton's home runs landed in the blacked out batter's eye in center field, and a few guys ran after the ball. The police chased one of them, the guy with the ball, into the bowels of the stadium. The other guy got caught and the last I saw of him was in a choke hold by a police officer.

Ball after ball leaves the park, and the New York crowd went wild.

There's a poignant moment when Steve Phillips says, "Years from now when they talk about old Yankee Stadium, when they talk about all the memories and all the ghosts, one of the memories will be this kid, on this field, doing what he's doing right now." That's beautiful, and he's right. When Hamilton hit his 25th home run of the round, it broke the record for a single round held by Bobby Abreu. Not long after there is a shot of Ortiz saying, "Wow." There's nothing else to say. I don't know how Phillips was able to be so eloquent.

When Hamilton finally makes his tenth out, finishing with 28 home runs, the theme from The Natural played throughout the stadium. I don't know if they did that for every participant, but it was entirely fitting for Hamilton. His effortless swing and easy smile made him seem like a farm boy who happened to wander into the House that Ruth Built and was given a bat and went to work.

Justin Morneau actually won the 2008 Home Run Derby, but no one remembers that, and I think if you asked him he'd be okay with that. He beat Hamilton, who ran out of gas and only hit seven more home runs in the last two rounds, five to three. But when it was over, field reporter Erin Andrews went straight to Hamilton with a microphone. It was Hamilton's coming out party, and we all witnessed it with joy.