2005 MWBL CHRISTMAS CLASSIC
For Immediate Release
December 25, 2005
HAWAII — Barry Bonds had a night for the ages Monday in the Mid-West Baseball Leagues 3rd annual Home Run Derby, pounding 32 long balls into the far reaches of Ho-Ko Kam Park and breaking the records for a single round, (15) the championship round (11) and the total for all three rounds of the derby (32).
He defeated fellow American Leaguer Vladimir Guerrero, from the Virginia Sluggers, 11-5, in the final round. Vladimir hit 22 homerun on the night.
Bonds, from the Mobsters of Chicago hit 62 homers during the season was the starting Designated Hitter for the American League in the All-Star Game. He hit 15 homers in the first round, breaking the single-round record of 12 set by Albert Pujols in 2004 when he won the derby last year.
“It was unbelievable,” Pujols said about the show put on by Bonds. “That’s what happened to me last year. Today, everything is about Bonds. He was No. 1.”
Pujols, the Los Angeles Riots first baseman, hit a derby-record total of 27 last Christmas Eve at Ho-Ko Kam Park and had that record broken when Bonds added eleven more in the finals for a total of 32. The championship-round record of seven was held by Pujols when the Angels slugger won the derby. Bonds bested that mark by two.
“I was feeling so good I couldn’t believe what I was doing,” Bonds said. “I was in a good rhythm and it was something that was hard to believe. It was amazing. This is a beautiful night. This is something amazing that came to me. I don’t know if I can sleep tonight.”
By rule, each player was given 10 outs per round in the regular rounds and 3 outs in the playoffs. Any ball not hit out of the park was considered an out.
Bonds expects to play for the Mobsters next year, but isn’t sure how and when or if he will be back. “They told me I hit some very long balls today, but I wasn’t looking,” said Bonds, who said he’s thinking of having knee surgery in the off-season and may not play too much in 2006. “I think the Mobsters brass feels very happy. It’s kind of nice. I think I’m probably going to be all over the news.”
Even when it seemed that Bonds couldn’t outdo himself, he did, launching a massive 580-foot shot beyond the boats docked outside the park in the Pacific ocean beyond the second-deck porch in right field. That blast was the longest in the Christmas Classic Home Run Derby history, beating out Pujols 568 homer last year and Lance Berkman of Tijuana mark of 566 in 2003.
Only Vladimir Guerrero barely equaled Bonds’ feats, knocking out 7 balls in the first round, 3 in the first playoff, 5 in the Semi’s 3 in the second 
playoff and 5 out in the finals including 5 out of 7 at one point, each one carrying longer than the other into the right-field bleachers, his best topping off at 387 feet. During his first round, a streaker came out on the field to distract Guerrero, but he only laughed it off and continued to drill balls way over the left field wall.
Mark Teixeria, & Adrian Beltre ascended to the semifinals, where they were defeated by Bonds and Guerrero.
“It was a lot of fun, but I tell you what, it wasn’t easy,” Teixeria said. “You get tired out there. You get tired and that bat starts to get heavier and heavier. At the end of the first round, I thought that bat was 40 pounds.”
Hank Blalock, who plays for the Fremont Cannons, had the most disappointing round of the evening. Blalock failed to hit a homer in the first round, and was later diagnosed with myospasm Tensor Fascialata, which is an upper thigh muscle that tightened up and prevented Blalock from the follow through on completing his swing.
But Bonds was obviously the show. “Exciting, yeah, I think the fans liked it,” Bonds said. “They come here to see the show. It’s not all me, well at least not this time. It’s all about the Christmas Classic and what a better way to spend Christmas Eve, then bashing Home Runs.”
Complete Details of the 3rd Annual Christmas Classic Home Run Derby