Robinson Cano defeated Adrian Gonzalez and the rest of the field to become the 2011 Home Run Derby champ.
As the contest was whittled down to the final two, the last men standing were AL East foes. Each made it to the final round by launching 20 home runs over their first two.
Gonzalez was able to put up another big number as he stepped to the plate first in the final frame. But his 11 were no match for Cano. The 28 year old showed off his strength by reaching 12 dingers with 4 outs to spare.
Cano went yard a combined 32 times over the 3 rounds, his home runs going an average distance of 433 feet. His longest shot was 472 feet, and Cano was able to reach that mark twice last evening.
"“As a kid, you dream to be up here with a bunch of guys that you watched back in the day, like Sosa, Griffey, McGwire, Giambi, how much fun they have,” Cano said."
As impressive as Robinson’s performance was, most of the attention was originally given to another Cano. Robinson elected to have his father Jose pitch to him for the derby, and it was certainly a special moment for the Cano family.
"“I don’t want to say that I won this trophy,” Cano said afterward, flashing a smile almost as wide as the Grand Canyon. “I want to say that my dad has won this trophy.”"