Kevin Steimle|@kevsteimle
Toms River's Todd Frazier has had a flair for the dramatic since he was a 12-year-old playing on the biggest stage in Little League at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa., while a member of the world champion Toms River East American squad in 1998.
He showed off that flair again Monday night in winning the 2015 Home Run Derby at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati.
Frazier faced Joc Pederson of the Dodgers in the finals after Pederson knocked off Albert Pujols of the Angels, 12-11.
Pederson started slow, then hit four out on four swings. He had six when he called his timeout with 2:29 to go. He hit eight after the timeout. He hit five over 425 feet, so he got 30 seconds in bonus time.
He hit one in the bonus round to get to 14.
"Honestly, I was thinking, '14. That's Pete Rose. I can't let him down,'" Frazier told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "I really was thinking about it. I hit 14 in the first round."
Frazier started slow, then hit three on three swings. He called timeout after 2:35 to go. Frazier then got into a rhythm. He tied Pederson with 15 seconds to go. He hit one to the wall on his last swing before bonus time.
"I knew it was basically over after that," he said. "I had at least five or six swings. I'm going to get at least one."
He hit the first one out in the bonus round to win it.
"It was dramatic," Frazier said "I had a minute left to hit two or three. That's all you have to do is get through it bracket style. That's the best part about it."
Said Pederson: "I think he hit 14 every round. He's a great hitter, at least I made him work for it. It was a great finish — at home, the fans went crazy, you couldn't ask for more."
"Toms River: We did it, baby,'' Frazier said via a text message on Tuesday.
Frazier held his son, Blake, while being interviewed on ESPN after winning the derby.
"Hey, Cincinnati. We brought it home, it's about time. This goes out for all you guys, for sure.''
Frazier took a timeout with 2:35 left to get a breather in the final, trailing 14-5, against the young slugger from the Dodgers.
The crowd was behind Frazier with every swing.
"They pushed me a lot. I'm just glad it was in Cincinnati and they can enjoy this win with me.''
Frazier joined the Chicago Cubs' Ryne Sandberg for home-field homer titles; the Hall of Fame second baseman did it at Wrigley Field in 1990.
After finishing second in last year's Home Run Derby in Minneapolis, this one was as sweet as that winning swing.
"That pushed me a lot," Frazier said. "I wanted to get back here. I'd been working in the offseason a little bit. I'm just glad it was in Cincinnati and they could enjoy it with me."
It wasn't just the finals where Frazier had the crowd and all of Toms River on the edge of their seats.
In the semifinals against Toronto's Josh Donaldson, Frazier took a timeout to get a breather with 1:49 left trailing 9-6.
He composed himself and homered on the first pitch from his brother, Charlie, after the timeout. With a smile on his face, he connected for the winning homer with no time left on the clock to beat Donaldson, 10-9.
"The format fit it well. I like hitting bad balls and I hit them out. Bottom line is he (Charlie) throws them and I just swing it. That's what our motto was today.''
Todd Frazier, a Toms River South graduate, had the home crowd in Cincinnati roaring with every swing, and topped Prince Fielder Jr., 14-13, in the first round of the Home Run Derby.
It was definitely a family affair for the Fraziers at Great American Ballpark.
"It's a great format they followed here, but boy he just came through,'' Charlie Frazier Sr. told ESPN with his wife, Joan, standing to his right.
"It's unbelievable (As he was talking, he pointed out Jeff Frazier was running out to the field to be with his two brothers. "There's not more we can say.''
Fielder Jr., a two-time champion, put up 13 homers giving Todd Frazier a big hole to dig out of, but he hit his 14th dinger on his first swing of the 30 second bonus round.
Todd's older brother, Jeff, was also on hand at the Great American Ballpark and congratulated his little brother in the tunnel after his performance in the first round and celebrated with a WWE Championship belt on the field afterward.
The 2015 Home Run Derby began around 8:15 p.m. (EDT) with the Cubs' Anthony Rizzo opening up the night against the BlueJays' Josh Donaldson. Rizzo put up 8 homers in his 4 minutes and 30 seconds. Donaldson hit his ninth with :15 remaining to advance.
Pederson followed and needed under three minutes to hit 13 homers to beat Baltimore's Manny Machado, 13-12.
Pujols topped the Cubs' Kris Bryant, 10-9, in the final matchup of the first round.
Heavy rain fell in Cincinnati on Monday afternoon, and another wave was scheduled to arrive late Monday evening, but the new format helped moved things along before the rain came.
ESPN reported that due to a chance of storms at 11 p.m. that there would be a four-minute running clock instead of five, batters will get an extra 30 seconds after every two homers that travel further than 425 feet and that there will still be a 45-second timeout.
Only one Home Run Derby has ever been rained out — 1988's contest in Cincinnati's old Riverfront Stadium. Last year's derby was delayed for rain at Minnesota's Target Field.
There was only a 30-percent chance of storms for Tuesday's All-Star Game.
