There's no place like home.
Bryce Harper thrilled the home crowd and surely made his father proud, winning the All-Star Home Run Derby on Monday night with an exceptional display of power that carried him past Kyle Schwarber of the Chicago Cubs 19-18.
Harper hit the contest-winning blast in extra time, the reward for hitting two homers at least 440 feet during the 4 minutes of regulation. After he connected with the game winner, the Washington Nationals slugger threw his bat in the air and pointed both index fingers toward the sky as a shower of streamers rained upon the crowd of 43,698.
Harper arranged to have his father, Ron, pitch to him in the annual contest on the eve of the All-Star Game. Harper, a six-time NL All-Star, responded with a performance that drew the loudest cheers of the night.
Wearing a headband that resembled the District of Columbia flag and displaying a right sleeve with stars and stripes, Harper trailed 18-9 with 1:20 left before rallying to tie Schwarber before winning the contest in the final :30 seconds, an extra bonus given to participants who hit two or more home runs further than 440-feet.
Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Max Muncy was a participant in the 2018 T-Mobile Home Run Derby, and advanced to the second round where he was eliminated by the eventual champion in Harper.
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Muncy defeated Chicago Cubs second baseman, Javier Baez, in the first round with 17 home runs, but only managed 12 in the second round where he was easily usurped by Harper.
The 2018 MLB All-Star Game will feature Harper, as well as Dodgers' outfielder Matt Kemp, and pitchers Ross Stripling and Kenley Jansen. First pitch is scheduled for 5:00PM PST from Nationals Park in Washington D.C. It will air live on FOX.
