KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Detroit Tigers slugger Prince Fielder has a knack for hitting home runs. On Monday night at Kauffman Stadium, Fielder won his second career HR Derby title by defeating former Kansas City Royal Jose Bautista 12-7 in the final round.
Yankees slugger Robinson Cano drew heavy criticism for not selecting hometown favorite Billy Butler for the derby, and Royals fans didn’t let him forget it.
Cano heard just as many cheers as he did boos however, because he ended up with no HR’s. “Billy Butler” chants from the crowd were followed up with roaring cheers every single time Cano recorded an out.
Former Royal Carlos Beltran advanced to the second round, but couldn’t outslug Mark Trumbo or Bautista to advance any further. Bautista won a tiebreaker 2-1 over Trumbo, after they were both tied with 13 HR’s apiece.
Fielder’s longest HR of the night was 476 feet. He becomes the first player since Ken Griffey Jr. to win multiple HR Derby titles. Fielder’s last title came in St. Louis in 2009.
