Bryce Harper Completes Colossal Comeback to Win Home Run Derby

The Cubs outfielder hit a whopping 55 total homers, barely losing to Harper in the final.

“It’s huge being able to run out there knowing you are in your own ball park”, he added. But, if by some miracle, Baez overcomes that kind of struggle this summer, I’ll have to tip my hat to the first time All-Star, World Series Champion and 2016 National League Championship co-MVP. The combination of the hometown crowd-only two other players have won the derby in their own ballpark-and Harper’s awesome comeback seem destined to go down in All-Star Week lore.

As Bryce Harper was besting Schwarber in the Derby’s final, Twitter was filled with serious allegations of Home Run Derby misconduct.

As a spectator, the 2018 Home Run Derby was tons of fun.

Harper’s agent, Scott Boras, said earlier this month that his client’s numbers are down this season in part because shifts hurt left-handed batters more than righties. I look forward to hopefully playing with him for the next 10, 12 years. He always does, so that works. The Brewers’ Jesus Aguilar has the next-best odds at 4/1, followed by Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman at 11/2. Rhys Hoskins of the Phillies is 7/1 and Astros’ rising star Alex Bregman has the longest odds at 8/1.

Washington Nationals games got a lot cheaper to attend thanks to Bryce Harper. Muncy hit 12 homers, and Harper started slowly before going on a tear and scoring a 13-12 victory-getting the go-ahead homer with 1:11 still left on the clock.

He will face Max Muncy of the Dodgers. Schwarber then barely edged out Bregman, the only American League hitter, by a score of 16-15.

Hoskins downed Aguilar 17-12.

Then-junior Kyle Schwarber tags a player out at home plate during IU’s game against Western Kentucky on April 16, 2014, at Bart Kaufman Field.

Hoskins hit 20 in the semifinal round, which to that point was the most all night.

Alone at the end of the night stood Harper, the hometown slugger facing comparisons to the hero of Ernest Thayer’s famed 1888 poem, “Casey at the Bat”.

“As soon as I got done with that round I told myself that (Harper) had it”, Schwarber said.

Harper would go on to hit a HR Derby walk off with the title in his bonus 30-second round.