Giambi wows ’em, but Gonzalez wins HR Derby

Little-known NL star Luis Gonzalez beats Sammy Sosa and Jason Giambi in the Derby

By Scott M. Johnson

Herald Writer

SEATTLE — The king of swing is a 6-foot-2, 195-pounder who is built like one of Sammy Sosa’s bats.

The king of swing is a self-professed singles hitter, a leadoff for the National League in today’s All-Star Game.

The king of swing, for one day at least, is Luis Gonzalez of the Arizona Diamondbacks, who won Monday’s Home Run Derby at Safeco Field after slaying some of the game’s best sluggers.

Gonzalez edged NL home run leader Barry Bonds and defending Derby champion Sammy Sosa in the final two rounds, further proving that his 35 home runs at the All-Star break aren’t a fluke.

But this year’s Home Run Derby champion doesn’t like to be called a home run hitter.

"The home runs are nice, but to me I would just assume be the whole package," said Gonzalez, whose 35 home runs are four more than he hit all of last season. "I enjoy hitting doubles, driving in runs. I want to do a little bit of everything."

While Gonzalez took home the hardware, Oakland’s Jason Giambi had by far the most impressive showing. Giambi, a last-minute replacement when Boston’s Manny Ramirez was late to arrive, hit a Home Run Derby-record 14 homers in the first round.

With Mariners broadcaster Dave Valle serving as pitcher, Giambi got off to a slow start in the first round. None of his first four hits went over the fence, but the A’s slugger then went on a tear. He hit eight home runs in a row, then added six more before he was finished to eclipse Mark McGwire’s all-time mark of 13 homers in a round.

Giambi’s final shot, a towering home run to the third deck in right field, went 460 feet — the longest ever hit at Safeco Field at the time. He also put one into the fourth deck in right field, something only Mo Vaughn (1999) has done during a game.

"It was great," Giambi said. "I walked in here earlier in the day and was asked if I wanted to compete. I asked Dave Valle, who was standing around, if he wanted to throw to me. It was a ball. I had a great time."

Giambi’s run ended in the semifinals, when Sosa beat him 8-6 in a head-to-head competition.

"I was tired," Giambi said. "That’s a lot of home runs to hit. I was tired and I knew Sammy was lying in the weeds over there. I just couldn’t get that same streak going."

The Mariners’ Bret Boone tied for fourth with three home runs during the first round, but did not advance due to a tie-breaker. Although the top four hitters advance, Sosa got the nod because his 29 home runs at the All-Star break are seven more than Boone.

"It was a little different. I’m not used to hitting without a cage, but today I did," said Boone, whose longest homer was a 406-foot shot to the upper deck in left field. "It was a little weird. I hit a couple. In those, you’ve got to get in a groove. If you get in a groove, you can rattle off five or six. It wasn’t meant to be today."

Also eliminated in the first round was former Mariner Alex Rodriguez. His paltry total of two homers was surprising, but not nearly as much as the reception he received. After being pelted with boos during his first two return trips to Safeco, Rodriguez received a loud ovation Monday. One fan even carried a sign that read: "We still (heart) A-Rod."

"It was flattering," Rodriguez said of the reception. "You always prepare yourself for the very worst because that way you won’t be disappointed."

When all was said and done, 11 of the home runs went farther than Vaughn’s 441-foot blast in 1999 — the longest ever hit at Safeco during a game. None of those belonged to Gonzalez, topped out at 440 feet. Bonds’ 476-foot homer to right field was the longest hit of the day, while Sosa eclipsed the 460-foot mark three times.

Gonzalez hit five homers in the first round to finish third, advancing him to the semifinals. In the second round, he beat Bonds 5-3 in a matchup of the NL’s two leaders in home runs. After Sosa had knocked off Giambi, Gonzalez won his first Derby title by the score of 6-2 by hitting all his homers to right field.

Gonzalez, a 33-year-old who will make his second All-Star Game appearance today, has boasted a 30-game hitting streak and has also hit for the cycle in the past. But none of it compares to winning the Derby.

"This definitely ranks above all that," Gonzalez said. "You are out here amongst your peers, the whole world is watching. This is actually where you get recognition."

The most ecstatic person after Gonzalez won was a wheelchair-bound man from Potters Mills, Pa., named Thomas Knapp. As part of a sponsor’s contest, Knapp received a $250,000 check to go toward a new house. For that, he had Gonzalez to thank.

"I didn’t know him at all" before Monday, Knapp said.

Gonzalez, the new king of swing, was quick to respond.

"Neither did a lot of people," he said, "until today."