Tag: 2023 home run derby

Fans absolutely loved Marshawn Lynch’s delightful exit at this year’s MLB Home Run Derby in Seattle

There is no one else quite like the great Marshawn Lynch.

Former Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch will always be one of the city’s most beloved figures, and he looked like he was having a wonderful time at this weekend’s MLB All-Star Game.

With the annual MLB best-of contest taking place in Seattle at the Mariners’ T-Mobile Park, Lynch fittingly showed up to present the Home Run Derby trophy.

He was the perfect person to hold such an honor at a Seattle sporting event, and he beamed with pride as he hoisted the trophy for all to see at the ballpark on Sunday.

However, it’s what happened after that just personified why Lynch is still one of the most hilarious people in sports.

As he left the field, Seattle radio host Lydia Cruz caught Lynch grabbing some home run baseballs, signing some for some young fans, snagging some free T-Mobile swag (a pillow and towel to be exact) and hitting the road.

Like, c’mon, what a hero.

It was a delightful way for Lynch to bid adieu to the fans at the derby, and of course, folks loved seeing Beast Mode just being himself.

Major League Baseball’s Home Run Derby is already great, but here’s how we make it perfect

We don’t necessarily NEED this change to the Home Run Derby, but it’d be a great one.

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As much fun as the MLB All-Star Game has become in recent years, there’s really not much baseball can do to make it cooler than the Home Run Derby. 

No matter how many times MLB changes the format or rules of the derby — no matter if the players are going head-to-head or advancing through a bracket — it turns out people will fill a stadium and tune in to watch (most of) the best hitters in the sport sock some dingers. 

At the end of the day, MLB just can’t screw up this formula. We saw this when Vlad Guerrero Jr. won the event in Seattle on Monday.

And yet! The competition is inherently held on an uneven playing field because the league allows batters to choose their own pitchers. It’s kind of silly, isn’t it? 

Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing who sluggers pick to throw them batting practice every year. There’s also something hilarious about watching sons hit absolute moonshots off their dads on one of the sport’s biggest stages. It also adds to some jaw-dropping moments like Adley Rutschman going yard from both sides of the plate in one at-bat.  But it also doesn’t really make sense, does it?

If the idea is to see who can hit the most home runs over a given timeframe, why not use a pitching machine that we know puts the ball in the same spot every time? Why entrust the most important variable of the Home Run Derby — where the ball crosses the plate — to relative chance? 

Anyone who wanted to see Adolis Garcia put on a true display of his power on Monday night would’ve appreciated some consistent balls over the plate. Instead, they watched his pitcher get absolutely roasted on social media. Pete Alonso has won the derby twice but his pitcher on Tuesday couldn’t stop painting the corner, which limited his ability to hit them out of the park. 

Don’t even get me started on the betting aspect — that segment of fans would surely love to see pitching machines used. 

The Home Run Derby is really just a silly exhibition, so it’s not like this is a change that needs to happen, but you can’t help but wonder if it would make the event better in the long run. The cost of the incredible pitcher-batter storylines may not be worth tinkering with this one, but it’s certainly worth a conversation.

Boppenheimer…The NFL’s Supplemental draft explained…and more

— Boppenheimer. Barbenheimer. Oppbie. Whatever you want to call the Barbie and Oppenheimer crossover, it’s fantastic. Charles Curtis has more.

— Here’s our Christian D’Andrea explaining how the NFL Supplemental draft works. Thank goodness.

— Here’s more on the 2023 FIFA World Cup Format from our Prince Grimes.

— Here’s how to get a free Slurpee from 7Eleven on 7/11.

See you tomorrow!

1 overlay video shows how Pete Alonso’s Home Run Derby pitcher couldn’t stop hitting the outside corner

He hit the outside corner A LOT.

Remember Dave Jauss, the New York Mets bench coach back in 2021 who threw so well at the Home Run Derby to help Pete Alonso win back-to-back titles?

Well, he wasn’t there at the 2023 derby with Alonso, who was eliminated before Vlad Guerrero Jr. won. Instead, it was Mets assistant Aaron Myers who stepped in when Alonso’s other pitcher, Mike Friedlein, who tossed to him.

And Myers was great at painting the outside corner, which was either Alonso’s strategy all along, or just weird consistency. It was better than what Adolis Garcia got!

Thanks to Pitching Ninja, we have an overlay video, along with jokes from fans:

Adolis GarcĂ­a’s awful Home Run Derby pitcher had MLB fans making tons of jokes

Adolis GarcĂ­a’s batting practice pitcher didn’t do him any favors on Monday night.

The MLB Home Run Derby didn’t exactly go Adolis GarcĂ­a’s way on Monday night.

The two-time All-Star Texas Rangers outfielder didn’t have his best performance, but a lot of the blame can be placed on batting practice pitching that was, shall we say, sub-par.

The culprit was Rangers third-base coach Tony Beasley, whose pitching would have been great if he were a middle reliever but was less ideal when the goal of the competition is to hit home runs.

As the No. 4 seed, GarcĂ­a was eliminated in the first round after hitting just 17 bombs compared to Randy Arozarena’s 24. And as you can see, the pitching wasn’t doing him any favors.

It’s not the first time we’ve seen a player’s derby hopes derailed by their own batting practice pitcher, but MLB fans certainly had lots of jokes at Beasley’s expense.

Adley Rutschman impressively switch hit during the Home Run Derby and it was awesome

Adley Rutschman absolutely stole the show with this performance.

Take a bow, Adley Rutschman, because this was an all-timer of a Home Run Derby performance.

During the first round of the 2023 Home Run Derby, Rutschman stole the show after switch hitting during his appearance. Rutschman originally took his three minute time bank versus Luis Robert Jr. as a lefty, where he hit 21 home runs. Then, Rutschman switched to batting righty, rattling off six absolute dingers as the crowd roared its approval.

While Robert Jr. was able to best Rutschman 28-27 just minutes later, the sight of the Baltimore Orioles catcher switch hitting and absolutely crushing it will no doubt be a top Home Run Derby moment of all time.

Seriously, that was awesome.

MLB fans were equally in awe of Rutschman’s incredible athleticism as he went yard from both sides of the plate.

Randy Arozarena wore his iconic cowboy boots for his Home Run Derby intro and MLB fans loved it

Randy Arozarena was introduced to the Home Run Derby in style.

Randy Arozarena brought his lucky cowboy boots with him to Seattle.

During the introductions to the 2023 Home Run Derby, Arozarena walked out in style, wearing his iconic lucky cowboy boots to saunter down the runway. If you aren’t aware of Arozarena’s tradition, the Tampa Bay Rays outfielder has a pair of lucky cowboy boots that have been with him since 2017. Arozarena even took batting practice ahead of the World Baseball Classic in his cowboy boots, which ultimately lead to Mexico’s surprise upset of the United States in the round robin.

While Arozarena didn’t wear his cowboy boots to bat during the derby itself, he certainly looked stylish during his introduction!

And hey, the lucky boots paid off! Arozarena advanced to the second round of the Home Run Derby after besting Adolis Garcia in the opening salvo. Later, Arozarena even brought them out during the final round of the night.

Here’s how MLB fans reacted after Arozarena wore his lucky cowboy boots during his Home Run Derby introduction.