Jacket Slugger Wins Derby

Augusta GreenJackets third baseman Chris Dominguez got an extra honor at Tuesday's South Atlantic League All-Star Game in Greenville, SC. With five home runs in the final round on Tuesday, Dominguez defeated Hickory's Miguel Velazquez to emerge as the Home Run Derby champion.

Dominguez advanced to the finals after winning a swing-off with Lexington's Kody Hinze. The preliminary rounds were held prior to first pitch of the league's midsummer classic while the final round came after the second inning at Fluor Field. The game turned out to be a 5-5 tie, halted after ten innings due to lack of available pitching on both teams.

"It felt really good to win it because I'd never won a home run derby before," Dominguez said. "I had a lot of fun."

For his efforts, Dominguez won a replica of the "Black Betsy" 40-ounce bat used by the legendary "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, a native of Greenville. His final home run landed on top of the four-story New York Life Building beyond the left field fence while another of his blasts knocked out the light inside the "R" atop the same building's roof.

"I'm sure it was one of the farthest balls I've ever hit in my life," Dominguez said in reference to his derby-winning blast.

The GreenJackets' third baseman also wasted no time giving credit where credit was due, specifically to the man who served up the home run balls all night long.

"I had a great batting practice pitcher in my manager Dave Machemer, who pitched to me during the Derby," Dominguez said.

The GreenJackets return home from their current road trip to open the second half of the home schedule on Tuesday June 29th when they open a five-game series against the Charleston RiverDogs at 7:05 p.m. Single-game tickets for any home game can currently be obtained by calling 706-922-WINS or online at www.greenjacketsbaseball.com.