CINCINNATI – Andrew Yerzy hit nine home runs in the first round of MLB’s High School Select Home Run Derby and then added three more homers in the second for a 12-6 lead the Canadian national junior team catcher hoped would hold up.
Then he watched American Ron Washington Jr., go to work.
“He was pretty good,” said Yerzy. “When I had 12, he just kept hitting them and he was tied with me with three outs so I thought he had me at the beginning. I guess he didn’t.”
Instead, Yerzy and Washington settled for a 12-12 tie and a share of the junior title, which was held in between rounds of MLB’s home run derby as part of the all-star festivities.
The two advanced out of Sunday’s opening round, when Yerzy outhit Washington 10-9.
Swinging before a raucous crowd at Great American Ball Park, both started slow Monday night before coming on late.
“I was a little bit nervous seeing everyone there, but I calmed down after the first minute, found a rhythm,” said Yerzy. “Once you get the first one out of the way it’s easier.”
The 17-year-old from Toronto had hoped to meet Bryce Harper, whose style of play he admires, and managed to engage in “small-talk with most of the pro guys.”
Then he took his hacks “with the same approach as (Sunday), stay calm, look for the right pitches and swing hard.”
The entire experience “was amazing, nothing like I’d ever done before. Meeting all the pro players and being in front of the big crowd, it was amazing. Just seeing everyone chanting, the sea of red, it was pretty cool.”