Chase Harlan was scheduled to be one of eight participants in this weekend’s AFL Home Run Derby, but a late scratch removed any Dodger presence in this contest—in fact, it would be Harlan’s late replacement, one Aaron Parker of the Blue Jays, who would take advantage of this opportunity, winning the whole thing.
Parker had less than 24 hours to prepare for the HR Derby, as he was informed of this opportunity to replace Harlan late
Friday night, and he certainly made the most of it. Already in the first round, Parker showed he wasn’t playing around by thrashing the competition in a 12-7 victory over Alex McCoy to advance to the semis. The second round proved Parker’s biggest challenge of the night, but he overcame a slow start to beat Brooks Bryan of the Royals by a score of 5-4.
The final was a cakewalk for Parker, as his opponent, Taj Peete, suffered one of the longstanding traditions of the HR Derby as the hitter who peaks too soon and runs on fumes at the end. After two dominant rounds, Peete homered just once in the final, leaving an open path for Parker to take the crown with a pair of homers. Parker ended the night with 19 total homers, four more than any other hitter.
