ON a night filled with majestic moonshots, Washington Nationals slugger Bryce Harper put on the best show. Harper obliterated baseballs — and his competition — to win the 2018 Major League Baseball (MLB) Home Run Derby on Monday.

Drawing inspiration from the home fans at Nationals Park, Harper bested Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy in the first two rounds before topping Chicago Cubs slugger Kyle Schwarber in an epic final round, 19 homers to 18. Harper hit 45 home runs total during the event.

The night was dominated by the Nationals’ superstar. Harper easily took out Freeman and Muncy to advance to the final round, but Schwarber gave him plenty of trouble.

Harper belted an unreal nine home runs in the final 47 seconds to tie Schwarber with 18 home runs. The last round went to bonus time, when Harper crushed a shot to deep center and celebrated by throwing his bat high into the air.

Much of the night felt like a send-off from Harper to the Nationals fans. He took every opportunity to tell them how much he appreciated them during interviews. Harper enthusiastically riled up the crowd and made sure to give them shout outs throughout the duration of the event.

It may have lacked star power, but the 2018 Home Run Derby didn’t lack drama or excitement. There were so many terrific matchups throughout the event, aside from the thrilling final round. The second round battle between Kyle Schwarber and Rhys Hoskins proved to be the best on the undercard, as Schwarber mounted an amazing comeback with 21 home runs. He even added a bat flip for emphasis on his walk-off swing.

(SD-Agencies)