Twice as nice: Howard's homers give Phillies back-to-back titles

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The Philadelphia Phillies haven't been big winners for a long time. Thanks to Ryan Howard and Bobby Abreu, they're tough to beat in the Home Run Derby.
Howard made certain his first trip to the All-Star game would be a memorable one, beating out the Mets' David Wright to give the Phillies their second derby winner in as many summers.
And what a finish.
After homering into the Allegheny River earlier, the 2005 NL Rookie of the Year's fifth and decisive homer in the championship round banged off a "Hit It Here" sign above the right-field stands to give a lucky fan 500 free round-trip air tickets.
"That'll give the fans in Philly something to cheer about," said Howard, whose 28 homers at the All-Star break are the second most among NL All-Stars.
Wright, with Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca throwing to him, had a big edge after the first round with 16, or six more than any other competitor. But he had only six in the next two rounds, and Howard won the final with extra at-bats to spare.
Wright's 16 homers were the third most of any round in the derby's 21-year history, though he hit eight fewer than Abreu's record-breaking 24 a year ago in Detroit. Abreu went on to win the 2005 competition with 41, or 14 more than any other winner. He wasn't eligible this year after not being chosen for the All-Star game.
PNC Park, with its distant fences in left and left-center and short, 320-foot porch in right field, favors left-handed batters, but the right-handed Wright repeatedly reached the seats with ease.
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