Home Run Derby: 5 best performances of all time
By Brad Weiss
On July 11, some of the best power hitters in Major League Baseball will descend on Petco Park for the T-Mobile Home Run Derby. Here are five of the best performances in Derby history.
Since 1985, the Home Run Derby has been a part of the Midsummer Classic, though it has evolved over time. What started as a short out-based competition, has turned into a timed bracket-style event, and it captivates baseball fans every year.
The competition received an overhaul in 2015, and the derby is now an eight-seeded tournament, with seeds based on the player’s regular season home run total up to that point in the season. The players go head to head, battling it out in four, one-minute rounds.
Players can receive more time based on their distances, including an extra minute if they hit two home runs over 420 feet. If a batter crushes one over 475 feet, he can earn 30 more seconds, giving them more opportunity to collect home runs.
If the finalists are tied, they go to a 90-second swing off, with the winner taking the crown.
Prior to 2015, the derby toyed with plenty of ideas, including players batting for their home country, a match-play format, and small two-inning events with five outs per inning.
Last year, the crown was won by the hometown favorite, as Todd Frazier won the T-Mobile Home Run Derby in front of his home fans at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati.
Here are five of the best performances in the history of the Home Run Derby.
Next: 5. 1999: Mark McGwire, Fenway Park