Toms River’s Todd Frazier Wins MLB Home Run Derby

When the bright lights are shining, Todd Frazier is always ready to put on a show.

The former Toms River South and Rutgers University star drew a roar from the home fans in Cincinnati when the Reds third baseman won the Major League Baseball Home Run Derby in dramatic fashion on Monday night. With his older brother, Charlie, also a former Toms River South star, doing the pitching, Frazier edged Dodgers rookie Joc Pederson in the finals 15-14 with a home run during extra time to take home the belt. It capped arguably the most exciting Home Run Derby in history.

In the first year of the new format in which hitters got four minutes to hit as many home runs as possible, Frazier showed his usual flair for the dramatic. He hit a home run in the bonus time in the first round to edge the Rangers' Prince Fielder, 14-13, and then topped the Blue Jays' Josh Donaldson 10-9 in the semifinals. Frazier finished the job after taking second in last year's Home Run Derby.

He became the first player to win the Derby in his home stadium since Ryne Sandberg at Wrigley Field in 1990.

"Bringing this hardware home is something I've always wanted to do," Frazier told ESPN. "And it's just an unbelievable feeling. Right now, I'm pretty exhausted...(But) once I wake up in the morning, I will understand really what happened. It is going to be exciting to see this in my house."

Frazier, who will start at third base for the National League in Tuesday's All-Star Game in his home park, is hitting .284 with 25 home runs and 57 RBIs at the break.