A couple of hometown heroes hoisted the MLBx trophy in Durham on Friday night. Former St. Louis Cardinal Rich Ankiel, along with Carolina Blaze infielder Ana Gold and fellow Duke alum Michael DiMartini, won the home run derby hosted at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
“It was electric,” Gold said after the event. ‘The energy was just so much fun. My team was great, and we won, so that was a plus.”
Each team had a moniker related to the Durham Bulls, the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. At MLBx Durham, Major League Legends like Ankiel, Ben Zobrist, José Reyes and Adrián González were captains of each team. Blaze athlete Reese Atwood also participated; as did the Cascade’s Megan Grant and Bandits’ Sami Williams.
Blue Devil Michael DiMartini had an incredible 35-point round, hitting 23 home runs that propelled the “Team Bull Dragons” past “Team Durham Bulls” to the finals. There, they met “Team Toros Bravos” with Grant, Reyes, and East Carolina baseball player Davin Whitaker. DiMartini was named MVP.
MLBx is a spin on a home run derby where teams of three earn points for home runs, defensive catches, and bonus targets, with a five-swing “Hot Streak” that doubles up the potential for points.
Grant had another standout MLBx performance. In the first round, she hit for 20 points off of 13 homers. She also played in MLBx Atlanta last month, where her team reached the finals.
Despite coming up short, Grant made an impression.
“First off, she’s the best. Unbelievable talent,” Reyes said about his teammate, Grant. “To just go up there, so relaxed [and] hit so many homers. She’s got everything, and we almost won it all because of her.”
Savanna Collins is the Senior Reporter for the AUSL. You can follow her on Instagram @savvyco.
