It’s that time again for the Home Run Derby where eight of the best hitters in Major League Baseball pit their skills against each other to see who can hit the ball the farthest. And this year, the sight of the Home run Derby and All Star Game is Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas – the home of the Texas Rangers – and one of the most hitter friendly parks in the MLB.
Pete Alonso is making his fifth Home Run Derby appearance. The two time winner is hoping to make history by tying with Ken Griffey Jr for the most Derby wins.
Texas Rangers’ player Adolis Garcia is hoping to take advantage of home field advantage to win his first Home Run Derby.
This year the Derby participants will see a few rule changes…
There are no more seeds…at least for the first round. The players will have three minutes or 40 pitches to hit as many home runs as they can. Once they reach the semi-finals the four top home run hitters will be paired up to determine who will compete for the trophy.
In the final round, the players will have just two minutes or 27 pitches to hit as many homers as possible.
Again this year, players who hit multiple homers of at least 440 years will earn an extra 30 seconds of bat time. This year the players will also record “outs” – any ball that is hit but not a homer will be considered an out. Any player who hits a ball at least 425 feet during his bonus time will earn an extra “out”.
Players may call one time-out during each round but only during the regular time period; no time-outs can be called during the bonus time period.
In the case of a tiebreaker, the players will have 60 seconds to hit more homers. If a tie still exists after the 60 second swing-off, a three swing swing-off will ensue until a winner is determined.
The eight players will share a $2.5 million prize with the winner earning $1 million.
It’s a hot summer night in Texas at 101 degrees; but inside the ballpark the temps are around 75 as the players take the plate to strut their stuff. And foul ball over the wall don’t count.
First up to the plate is Alec Bohm who hit half of his 40 balls into the stands. He only hit one more homer during his bonus time for a total of 21 homers.
Bobby Witt Jr hit a total of 16 homers in his regular round and hit another four in the bonus round for a total of 20 home runs.
Hometown hero Adolis Garcia had one ball left when the time ran out; but he still managed to hit 18 homers before the bonus round. Garcia did not hit any home runs in his bonus round and has a total of 18.
Teoscar Hernandez had just 13 home runs with five pitches left when the timer ran out. He added another six in the bonus round for a total of 19 home runs.
Pete Alonso is a two time Home Run Derby champion and is making his fifth straight Derby in an attempt to tie Ken Griffey Jr with three Derby wins. In his four previous Derby appearances, he hit a total of 195 home runs. He only hit nine homers in regulation time and had a few balls remaining when the time ran out. Alonso added just three more homers in the bonus round for a total of 12 homers.
Alec Bohm is guaranteed a spot in the semifinals.
Jose Ramirez is a switch hitter and started out from the left side of the plate and hit 15 homers in regulation time. In the bonus round he continued to bat from the left side and added another six homers for a total of 21 home runs.
Marcel Ozuna hit 14 home runs in regulation, two of which went over 470 feet! He only added two more homers in the bonus round for a total of 16.
The final batter in round one is Gunner Henderson. It took 10 pitches before he hit his first home run; but one he got started, he hit a total of eleven home runs. In the bonus round, Henderson failed to hit any more home runs.
Gunner Henderson – 11
Pete Alonso – 12
Marcel Ozuna – 16
Adolis Garcia – 18
Teoscar Hernandez – 19
Bobby Witt Jr – 20
Alec Bohm – 21
Jose Ramirez – 21
The four batters moving on to the semifinals are Teoscar Hernanadez, Bobby Witt Jr, Alec Bohm, and Jose Ramirez.
Bobby Witt Jr and Jose Raminez face off.
Bobby Witt Jr hit 17 homers with no homers in the bonus round.
Jose Ramirez hit 12 homers in regulation with no homers in the bonus round for a total of 12 home runs.
Bobby Witt Jr wins the round and will move on to the finals.
Teoscar Hernandez and Alec Bohm face off for the final spot in the finals.
Teoscar Hernandez had a slow start but ended up with 13 home runs before the bonus round. He only added one more homer in the bonus round for a total of 14.
Alec Bohm was the first batter on the field and has had plenty of time to rest. Bohm hit 14 homers in regulation and needs just one home run to win the round. After three near misses, Bohm failed to add any homers for a 14-14 tie. There will be a swing-off to determine the winner. Each player will get three swings to add to their total. Teoscar Hernandez adds two more homers for 16. Alec Bohm gits only one homer for a total of 15. Teoscar Hernandez wins the round and will move on to the finals.
Teoscar Hernandez has a total of 35 home runs so far tonight.
Bobby Witt Jr has hit a total of 37 home runs so far tonight.
There has never been a Los Angeles Dodger or a Kansas City Royal win the Home Run Derby…until tonight.
Teoscar Hernandez hits first with a clock of two minutes and just 27 pitches. He hit eleven homers in two minutes and added three more in the bonus round for a total of 14 homers.
Bobby Witt Jr grew up very close to Globe Life Field and would love to put on a show for his friends and family in the stadium. He hits eleven homers in the regulation round and added only two more in the bonus round.
Teoscar Hernandez becomes the first Los Angeles Dodger and the seventh Dominican Republic native to win the Home Run Derby!