Washington: Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper won Monday’s Major League Baseball Home Run Derby in his home ballpark, edging Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Schwarber 19-18 in the final.
The ball-bashing competition for some of the top major league sluggers serves as a warm-up attraction for the 89th MLB All-Star Game, the first in the US capital since 1969. Players had four minutes to smack as many home runs as they could over the outfield walls in a knockout format, with bonus time possibly earned for especially long blasts.
Schwarber batted first in the final, the fifth seed smashing nine homers before calling a timeout with 1:49 remaining, then bashing nine more, setting Harper a total of 18 to beat.
