WASHINGTON -- For the second time in four years, a hometown player has won the Home Run Derby. Nationals wunderkind Bryce Harper edged out Cubs slugger Kyle Schwarber in the 2018 Home Run Derby at Nationals Park on Monday night.
Schwarber, the first hitter in the final round, swatted 18 home runs, with a 453-footer ranking as his longest. Harper rallied to win with 19 home runs. His longest was 473 feet. Both Schwarber and Harper qualified for the 30-second bonus time in the final round, and Harper needed a furious run in the final minute to tie the score heading into his bonus time, where he pulled off the win.
All told Harper launched 44 home runs and 3.5 miles worth of dingers in the Home Run Derby. He did not, however, hit the longest home run of the night. Here are the five longest homers Monday night:
Javier Baez: 479 feet
Bryce Harper: 478 feet
Bryce Harper: 473 feet
Bryce Harper: 467 feet
Bryce Harper: 465 feet
Baez, Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman, Brewers first baseman Jesus Aguilar, and Astros third baseman Alex Bregman were eliminated in the first round of the 2018 Home Run Derby. Harper beat Dodgers breakout star Max Muncy in the second round to get to the finals. Schwarber knocked off Phillies slugger Rhys Hoskins to advance.
home-run-derby-bracket-harper.jpg
This is the first Home Run Derby title for Harper, who was the runner-up to Yoenis Cespedes in the 2013 Home Run Derby. He is the first player to win the Home Run Derby in his home ballpark since former Reds slugger Todd Frazier won the 2015 event at the Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.
Schwarber hit 55 home runs total in the three rounds, second most ever behind Giancarlo Stanton's 61 in 2016. All told, 206 home runs were hit Monday night.
Relive all the excitement of the Home Run Derby in our live blog below.
Live updates from Nationals Park
Congratulations @ashwin9899! You received a personal award!
You can view your badges on your Steem Board and compare to others on the Steem Ranking
Do not miss the last post from @steemitboard:
Vote for @Steemitboard as a witness to get one more award and increased upvotes!