By Josh Liddick, Sports Talk Philly Staff Writer
In 2005, and Phillies right fielder Bobby Abreu was at the peak of his career. Coming off of a career year in 2004, where Abreu was elected to the All-Star Game, he continued his success and was selected to the All-Star game in 2005.
This time, however, Abreu had the opportunity to participate in one of sport's greatest spectacles, the Home Run Derby. The contest took place at Comerica Park in Detroit, and featured some of the game's best sluggers for one night. David Ortiz and Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez, among others, headlined the derby. However, Abreu was the one who shined the brightest.
Abreu started off the first round swinging a big stick, and immediately began drilling the balls out of the yard. Before long, Abreu had hit 24 home runs, a then Home Run Derby record for a single round.
With eight home runs in the semi-finals, and eleven home runs in the finals against Pudge, Abreu capped off the night with 41 home runs, a record to this day, and the MLB Home Run Derby crown.
Abreu became the first Phillie to win the contest, but it only took a year for that number to multiply.
In 2006, the Home Run Derby saw the eventual National League MVP, first baseman Ryan Howard, compete for the first time. The reigning champion Abreu did not participate, so it was up to Howard to defend the crown for his team.
This edition of the derby was a lot closer than the prior year. In fact, only three players that night hit more than 10 home runs in a single round (David Wright, 16, David Ortiz and Ryan Howard, 10).
Howard came into the derby with 28 home runs in the first half of the season. One of baseball's most prolific sluggers had a chance to showcase his home run hitting prowess.
For Howard, the first two rounds were pretty average, as the Home Run Derby was played at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. He hit eight home runs in the first round, and followed it up with ten in the second round. The Mets' David Wright equaled Howard's first two round subtotal with 18 homers.
This tie led Howard into a winner-takes-all matchup with his division rival, Wright in the final round. Howard's five homers in the final round bested Wright's four, and a Phillie won the derby for the second straight year.
As tonight's derby takes place, it will mark 10 years since a Phillie won the contest. There is no member of the Phillies being represented this year, however some argue that the 2005 and 2006 Home Run Derbies were some of the most memorable moments in recent Phillies history, because they represented the beginning of the Phillies' rise to national prominence.
