If you parked your car in the wrong place Tuesday near Royal Athletic Park, chances are you were doing the Pembroke Pout all the way to the windshield repair or autobody dent shop.
West Coast League all-stars unleashed a hailstorm of balls over the fences in the home-run derby as the usual Pembroke Poke homer common in regular league games gave way to the Pembroke Power Patrol for this night.
Home-run derbies have become ingrained as part of the quirky passing parade of baseball all-star games.
The WCL鈥檚 version of Yoenis Cespedes 鈥� the recent 2013 MLB home-run derby champion 鈥� was Cody Hough. The Klamath Falls Gems slugger unloaded bomb after bomb onto Pembroke Street to win the WCL home-run derby.
No wonder this guy was named the 2013 recipient of the Iron Highlander Award, which goes annually to the UC-Riverside student-athlete who shows the most dedication in the weight room.
鈥淚 stayed relaxed all day,鈥� said the native of Corona, Calif., of his pre-derby prep.
鈥淭he ball flies here. It鈥檚 not like home [Klamath Falls home stadium]. It鈥檚 a graveyard there [for home-run hitting].鈥�
The competition featured a player from each of the 11 teams in the league.
Hough defeated fellow-finalist and fellow UC-Riverside collegiate teammate Kevin Davidson of the Medford Rogues in the final round.
鈥淚t was more nerve-wracking watching the other guys hit,鈥� said Hough, noting you can control your performance but not that of others.
Victoria HarbourCats representative Alex Real knocked out three homers, which wasn鈥檛 enough to advance from the first round.
Kramer Lindell of the Walla Walla Sweets only hit two homers, but he had an adventure at the plate in other ways. First he got beaned, albeit by one of those marshmallow pitches used in home-run derbies. Then he himself beaned a photographer with a low line drive that hit the cameraman, who was kneeling in shallow left field taking pictures.
But Lindell had the last laugh, returning to the plate in the all-star game to deposit the ball onto Pembroke Street for a homer in the third inning.
