HOME RUN DERBY: GUERRERO LONG-BALL CHAMP.Byline: TONY JACKSON
Anthony (Antonio) Jackson, best known as Tony Jackson Staff Writer SAN FRANCISCO San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden -- With his chronically sore back feeling better than it has in years and his body well rested after a long, cross-country flight the previous evening, Angels right fielder right fielder n. Baseball The player who defends right field. Noun 1. right fielder - the person who plays right field outfielder - (baseball) a person who plays in the outfield Vladimir Guerrero Vladimir Alvino Guerrero (born February 9, 1976 in Don Gregorio, Nizao, Dominican Republic), and known in his native Dominican Republic as Miquéas (Spanish for Micah), is a Major League Baseball right fielder who plays for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. finally returned to the All-Star Home Run Derby This is about the Major League Baseball contest. For the 1959 television show of the same name, see Home Run Derby (TV series). The Home Run Derby is an event played prior to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. on Monday night, participating for the first time in seven years. By the time the watered- down event was finally over -- Barry Bonds Barry Lamar Bonds (born July 24 1964 in Riverside, California) is a left fielder for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. He is the son of former major league All-Star Bobby Bonds, the godson of Hall of Famer Willie Mays, and a distant cousin of Hall of Famer Reggie , Ken Griffey Ken Griffey may refer to:
Slamming a total of 17 homers in a ballpark he where loved to hit while with Montreal, Guerrero hit six of his shots at least 450 feet, including a 503-foot blast to cap off his semifinal round that was the longest of the event. He needed just three homers in the final round after fellow finalist Alex Rios of Toronto, who went first, managed only two. "You have to summon some energy for an event like this," Guerrero said, with ESPN's Pedro Gomez translating. "We got in very, very late last night, so I slept in a little bit later to rest a little bit more. The last time I came, in 2000, I swung at basically every pitch. I came back this year with a different philosophy. I was going to try to take a few pitches to rest a little bit." Guerrero brought Angels third-base coach Dino Ebel as his personal pitcher. Pitchers play a critical role in the derby because their job is to put the ball where the hitter wants it. "He has always been my batting-practice pitcher, and that is why he came," Guerrero said. "He always knows how to pitch to me." Rios actually hit more homers (19), swatting a dozen in the semis. Guerrero, whose homers averaged 434 1/2 feet, became the second Angels player in the past five years to win the derby. Garret Anderson won it at U.S. Cellular Field • • [ in Chicago in 2003, then became the Most Valuable Player of the All-Star Game the next night, going 3for4 with a double and a home run in the American League's 7-6 win. "I have always enjoyed hitting in this park from before, when I was still in Montreal and I played (regularly) in this park," said Guerrero, who joined the Angels as a free agent before the 2004 season. "I have always swung well in this park." CAPTION(S): photo Photo: The Angels' Vladimir Guerrero hit 17 home runs while winning the Home Run Derby. Arik Crabb/The Oakland Tribune |
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