BALTIMORE -- It was 1992 all over again. Despite some playful trash talking the day prior, Brady Anderson, the current Orioles vice president of baseball operations, edged Sam Horn, 5-4, in Saturday's 25th Anniversary Home Run Derby.
The pair, who were joined by Joe Orsulak, Sam Horn and Chris Hoiles in the home run hitting contest, were then honored as part of the inaugural team at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in a special pregame ceremony before Saturday's game against the Angels.
"I didn't think of it in my head any different than any other Home Run Derby," said Anderson, who reminisced about his first Home Run Derby as a player. "… You can pretend like it doesn't matter, laugh it off or you can take it seriously and do your best. I prefer to do my best, and if I don't do well, I'll take the beating."
The participants each got 10 swings in Round 1. They received one point for hitting the ball in the air past a roped-off area 300-feet deep in the outfield. Three points were given for each ball that cleared the wall, and the top finishers advanced for another 10 swings in Round 2.
"It's a little sad they had to bring in the fences [with the rope], but that's all right," said Anderson, who used to love taking half-hour batting practice in his playing days.
The 53-year-old Horn -- who homered twice, including sending a ball to the flag court in right field, in Round 1 -- advanced against heavy-favorite Anderson, who still will take some swings with the team. Neither former player hit a ball out of the park in Round 2, but Anderson edged Horn, 5-4 on points past the outfield rope. Orioles hitting coach Scott Coolbaugh served as the pitcher for the contest.
Anderson, also 53, played parts of 15 seasons in the Majors, 14 with the Orioles. He hit a career-high 50 homers in 1996. Horn played eight years in the Majors, three with the O's from 1990-92. Horn hit a career-high 23 homers in 1991.
"Most of the guys I hadn't seen since the '92 or '93 season," Anderson said of the teammates assembled, each of whom were introduced and ran out on the orange carpet. "It's nostalgic, in a way. It's a little sad, in a way, knowing that it's been a quarter century since you first played at this stadium. That part about life is sort of shocking, I guess, to know that you played on this field 25 years ago. It doesn't seem like it."