MIAMI – Rematch. Like a boxer beaten but unbowed, convinced he can win, that's what Miguel Sano was saying after his runner-up finish in the All-Star Home Run Derby: rematch.
"I feel really happy about it. I had some fun out there. My heart feels really good," the Twins star said after hitting 32 homers over three rounds Monday. "I'll start to work for next year, come back, and then — Aaron Judge."
Oh yes, the Yankees rookie slugger. Judge, who leads the majors with 30 home runs at the break, destroyed the competition once he got past Miami first baseman Justin Bour in an epic first-round battle. Bour drove the Marlins Park crowd into a frenzy with 22 home runs in his four-minute outing (plus 30 seconds of bonus time), but Judge caught him with a steady onslaught of tape-measure blasts, finally hitting his 23rd during his bonus time.
After that, Judge finished off the Dodgers' Cody Bellinger 12-11 with more than a minute left on the clock. And he outdid himself against Sano in the final round. Sano homered on his last five swings of regulation time to get to 10, but Judge eclipsed him 11-10 with nearly two minutes remaining.
"He's an animal, that's all I can say about him," Sano said of Judge, who despite his rookie status is a year older (25 to 24). "The first time I saw Aaron Judge in [batting practice], I could tell you: He's a monster."
Sano outdueled Mike Moustakas 11-10 in the first round, even though the Royals third baseman had 10 homers with a minute left. Then Sano finished off Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez, who had upset defending champion and hometown favorite Giancarlo Stanton 17-16 by blasting a low line drive into the Clevelander Club in left field for an 11-10 victory.
Sano was interrupted during his final round by Twins closer Brandon Kintzler, who told him, "Go have fun and just win it," Sano said. His pitcher, former big-league infielder Fernando Tatis, had some trouble throwing strikes.
"I was nervous. I was surprised by that. I played a lot of years in the big leagues," Tatis said. "Pitching is something new to me, so you've got to make sure you throw strikes, and that's not easy to do."
