Prince crowned home run king
Fielder outduels home-town favorites
ST. LOUIS — Prince Fielder beat the hometown boppers on their own turf.
With Albert Pujols and Ryan Howard eliminated early, Fielder won baseball’s Home Run Derby on Monday night with a power display that included a jaw-dropping drive estimated at 503 feet.
The Milwaukee Brewers first baseman outslugged Texas outfielder Nelson Cruz 6-5 in the finals at Busch Stadium.
“It’s what I expected. This is Albert’s stadium and Ryan is from here,” Fielder said. “I was just happy I was able to put on a show and I’m glad I won.”
Pujols, the Cardinals’ big first baseman, and Howard, who grew up in the Gateway City and plays for the Philadelphia Phillies, were knocked out in the second round.
This year’s All-Star festivities were supposed to belong to Pujols in his home ballpark. But Fielder snatched the spotlight in the annual warmup for tonight’s Midsummer Classic.
With three outs remaining in the final round, Fielder hit a drive onto the grassy hill in center field to clinch the crown. He posed for a moment with his bat held high, then embraced Brewers teammate Ryan Braun near home plate.
Pujols, who leads the majors with 32 homers, needed a late rally just to avoid elimination in the first round. With one out to work with, he connected on consecutive swings to force a three-player swing-off for the final spot in Round 2.
Carlos Pena hit one homer in the five-swing tiebreaker and Joe Mauer was shut out. So when Pujols homered twice he moved on – but not for long.
Looking fatigued, he managed six homers next time up for a two-round total of 11, easily surpassed by Fielder, Cruz and Howard, the 2006 derby champ.
Clearing the bases
Manny Acta is out, and Jim Riggleman is in as the Washington Nationals manager. Acta was fired with a 26-61 record, the worst in baseball. Riggleman, the bench coach and former Mariners manager, was chosen the interim replacement. … The corporate owner of the Chicago Cubs is considering having the team file for bankruptcy protection. People knowledgeable about the process say the move would hasten the club’s long-awaited sale by cleaning up its books.