Robinson Cano Outduels Adrian Gonzalez to Win 2011 State Farm Home Run Derby

New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano hit a record 12 home runs in the final round, besting Boston Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez by one in an epic three-round duel, to win the 2011 Home Run Derby

Cano started strong, clearly hitting the ball harder than any of the hitters before him, with eight first round homers - including one shot that went 472 feet. Gonzalez outdid him in the first round though, as he smacked nine home runs while leading off the derby. Nobody else really challenged the duo in the opening round; Matt Holliday, David Ortiz, and Prince Fielder each hit five long balls, while Rickie Weeks hit three and Matt Kemp hit just two. However, arguably the most surprising development of the first round was the fact that Jose Bautista, who leads the universe with 31 homers at the break, had just four homers, leading to his early ousting.

Holliday, Ortiz, and Fielder had a swing-off to determine which two men would advance to the second round. Holliday was the victim, as he had just two homers compared to four from Ortiz and five from Fielder.

Gonzalez and Cano put on a complete show in the second round, with Cano going deep 12 times compared to Gonzalez's 11. Cano's longest of the bunch was a 458-foot bomb, while Gonzalez crushed one 452 feet. Meanwhile, Ortiz and Fielder looked to have run out of gas in round two, as each player finished with four deep flies (including a derby-best 474-foot blast off the bat of the Prince).

Adrian Gonzalez seemed well on his way to victory by knocking 11 balls into the stands (including one on which a fan made an amazing catch where he jumped, caught the ball in mid-air, and landed into the pool - somehow managing to keep his beer and the ball above water), seven of them coming consecutively. However, Cano, who was being pitched to by his father, bashed 12 homers while only accumulating six outs.

Cano finished with 32 total homers, while Gonzalez notched 31. Including the swing-off round, Fielder had 14, Ortiz had 13, and Holliday had 7. The American League out-homered the National League 76 to 19. Yikes.

Full results after the jump...